Opinion ID: 1130131
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: bullard's conduct constituted misconduct.

Text: This Court has articulated a test for three types of conduct to determine whether an employee is ineligible for unemployment benefits due to a discharge based on misconduct as used in section 72-1366(e) of the Idaho Code: (1) a willful, intentional disregard of the employer's interest; (2) a deliberate violation of the employer's rules; or (3) a disregard of standards of behavior which the employer has a right to expect of its employees. Johns v. S.H. Kress & Co., 78 Idaho 544, 548, 307 P.2d 217, 219 (1957). This Court has bifurcated the test for standards of behavior misconduct into an evaluation of (1) whether the employee's conduct fell below the standard of behavior expected by the employer; and (2) whether the employer's expectation was objectively reasonable in the particular case. Puckett v. Idaho Dep't of Corrections, 107 Idaho 1022, 1023-24, 695 P.2d 407, 408-09 (1985). The tests for all three types of misconduct are factual determinations. Campbell v. Bonneville County Bd. of Comm'rs, 126 Idaho 222, 225, 880 P.2d 252, 255 (1994). The Industrial Commission concluded that Bullard's conduct was an intentional disregard of Sun Valley Aviation's interest. The Commission based this conclusion in part on language in Mandes v. Employment Sec. Agency, 74 Idaho 23, 255 P.2d 1049 (1953), that negligence may be construed to be willful or intentional misconduct if it is of such a degree or recurrence as to manifest culpability, wrongful intent, or evil design, or show an intentional and substantial disregard of the employer's interest or of the employee's duties and obligations to the employer. 74 Idaho at 25, 255 P.2d at 1050. The Commission construed Bullard's conduct to be willful or intentional based on the air traffic control tower operator's testimony that it constituted a gross violation of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and airport regulations, with life-threatening implications, and the airport manager's characterization of the two incidents as exceptionally serious and potentially life threatening. Bullard argues that the Commission's reliance on the inferred intent standard announced in Mandes was in error. See Bortz v. Payless Drug Store, 110 Idaho 942, 945, 719 P.2d 1202, 1205 (1986) (This court must set aside an order of the Industrial Commission where it fails to make a proper application of the law to the evidence.); Matthews v. Bucyrus-Erie Co., 101 Idaho 657, 659, 619 P.2d 1110, 1112 (1980) (decision of Industrial Commission reversed and remanded where Commission erroneously interpreted the definition of misconduct). This Court has not referred to the inferred intent standard in the numerous case law recitations of the definition of misconduct during the 40-year interim since Mandes. The applicable standard for misconduct is stated in Johns v. S.H. Kress & Co .: While the term discharged for misconduct ... has been variously defined, we think the term should be interpreted as meaning willful, intentional disregard of the employer's interest; a deliberate violation of the employer's rules; or a disregard of standards of behavior which the employer has a right to expect of his employees. 78 Idaho at 548, 307 P.2d at 219. This is the definition the Court has relied on since 1957. Mandes means simply that conduct may be so egregious that a fact finder may infer that it was wilful or intentional misconduct or that the conduct evidences a disregard of the employer's interest. It is clear that the question in this case which the Commission addressed was whether there was a preponderance of the evidence that Bullard's conduct was intentional, and/or whether there was a preponderance of the evidence that Bullard's conduct fell below the standard of behavior Sun Valley Aviation had a right to expect. Reference to the inferred intent standard stated in Mandes does not render its findings invalid. In its decision the Commission cited Davis v. Howard O. Miller Co., 107 Idaho 1092, 695 P.2d 1231 (1984), for the rule that in a standards-of-behavior misconduct case, the employer's expectations must be communicated to the employee. However, as this Court recently clarified in Merriott v. Shearer Lumber Prod., 127 Idaho 620, 903 P.2d 1317 (1995), an employer need only communicate those expectations and duties which do not flow naturally from an employment relationship. 127 Idaho at 622, 903 P.2d at 1319. There is ample evidence in the record to support a finding that Sun Valley Aviation's expectation that its employees would not cross the airport runways without clearance from the control tower flows naturally from the nature of Bullard's employment and his years of experience. In discharging Bullard, Sun Valley referred to the events that occurred on January 2, and 3, 1994, and to prior failures in customer service and supervisory skills. The prior deficiencies would not form the basis for a determination of misconduct under the Employment Security Law. The question arises as to whether the discharge combined a basis that would not preclude receipt of unemployment compensation with an allegation of misconduct that would be a basis to deny unemployment compensation. Sun Valley's letter to the Department of Employment setting forth the reasons for terminating Bullard cited his violations of the rules and regulations at the airport endangering patrons and the relationship with the airport management in combination with his unwillingness to change his bad attitudes. However, Sun Valley subsequently clarified its position concerning discharge in its protest to the Department of Employment with the following explanation: The singular events that resulted in Mr. Bullard's termination was [sic] the events that occurred on 1/2/94 and 1/3/94 caused by Mr. Bullard's bad attitude which led to his substantial disregard for the safety of himself and the other patrons of this airport by crossing the runway without the control tower's clearance and thus violating Friedman Memorial Airport and Federal Aviation Administration's rules and regulations. As an added aggravation, Mr. Bullard's bad attitude also led him to violate Federal Communication Commission rules and regulations with his use of profane language on the radio. In addition, the seed's [sic] of Mr. Bullard's termination for misconduct had already been planted by Mr. Bullard himself as he failed to meet Sun Valley Aviation's standards for customer service and supervisory skills needed for a line supervisor. It is clear that Sun Valley Aviation was not satisfied with Bullard's prior conduct, but it is also clear that the basis of the discharge was the violation of FAA and airport rules and regulations. Both the appeals examiner and the Commission recognized that failures in job performance do not constitute misconduct within the meaning of the Employment Security Law. Whatever Bullard's perceived failings before the violation of the FAA and Airport rules and regulations on January 2nd and 3rd, those issues were not the final basis for his discharge and did not contribute to the conclusions of either the appeals examiner or the Commissioner. The Commission concluded that Employer has demonstrated that Claimant intentionally and substantially disregarded its interest and that Claimant was discharged for misconduct in connection with employment. There is substantial, competent evidence to support these conclusions. Although Sun Valley Aviation cited Bullard's prior failure to meet standards for customer service and supervisory skills, it is clear from the record that the determining factor for his discharge was the conduct of January 2nd and 3rd which the Commission determined was misconduct precluding him from unemployment benefits.