Court Opinion

ID: 9542938
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:40:34.110119+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:09:19.850568
License: Public Domain

STOWERS, Justice (specially concurring). I do not agree with the majority opinion’s statement that “termination for a series of incidents which, taken together, may constitute ‘misconduct’ is distinguishable from termination, for a single incident following one or more corrective action notices.” Nor do I agree with the opinion’s conclusion that the “ ‘last straw’ must demonstrate a willful or wanton disregard for the employer’s interests for unemployment benefits to be denied”. In my opinion, that conclusion is incorrect and does not comport with the “totality of circumstances” test we adopted in Mitchell v. Lovington Good Samaritan Center, Inc., 89 N.M. 575, 578, 555 P.2d 696, 699 (1976), and followed in Donovan v. New Mexico Employment Sec. Dep’t, 97 N.M. 293, 294-95, 639 P.2d 580, 581-82 (1982). Although each separate incident within a series of incidents may not be sufficient in itself to constitute misconduct, taken in totality the conduct may deviate sufficiently to classify it as misconduct. See Donovan, 97 N.M. at 295, 639 P.2d at 582. Thus, the “last straw” need not necessarily demonstrate a willful or wanton disregard for the employer’s interests if, when taken in combination with the prior incidents, the conduct as a whole demonstrates misconduct as used in NMSA 1978, Section 51-1-7(B) (Repl.Pamp. 1987) and defined in Mitchell. Cf. Fort Myers Pump & Supply, Inc. v. Florida Dep’t of Labor, 373 So.2d 429 (Fla.Dist.Ct. App.1979) (since the employee’s work record consisted of willful conduct which occurred repeatedly, the precipitating event resulting in the discharge of that employee need not be a willful violation of the employer’s rules).