Opinion ID: 1190434
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: implied covenant of good faith

Text: Plaintiff also appeals the trial court's grant of summary judgment to defendant and dismissal of plaintiff's claim for breach of an implied-in-law covenant of good faith and fair dealing. In Loose v. Nature-All Corp. [21] and Brehany v. Nordstrom, [22] we definitively refused to recognize an implied-in-law covenant of good faith that would replace the traditional at-will rule in employment cases. In Brehany, we stated that although every contract is subject to an implied covenant of good faith, that covenant cannot be construed to establish new, independent rights or duties not agreed upon by the parties. [23] We also stated that an implied covenant of good faith cannot change an indefinite-term, at-will employment contract into a contract that requires an employer to have good cause to justify a discharge. [24] We adhere to our holdings in these cases and affirm the decision of the trial court dismissing plaintiff's claim for breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing.