Court Opinion

ID: 9550729
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 18:41:19.666575+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:22:16.099031
License: Public Domain

HOWE, Associate Chief Justice:
(concurring).
I concur. I write to underscore that the public policy exception is to be applied narrowly and only when there exists a violation of a clear and substantial public policy. Accordingly, I do not contemplate that the exception will be frequently invoked or that it should be of concern to employers who are guided by honesty in their employment relations.
To employers in this state who fear the risk of being subjected to punitive damages for a discharge in contravention of public policy, I commend the following statement in the opinion of the court in Boyle v. Vista Eyewear, Inc., 700 S.W.2d 859, 878 (Mo.Ct.App.1985):
The public policy exception is narrow enough in its scope and application to be no threat to employers who operate with*1286in the mandates of the law and clearly established public policy as set out in the duly adopted laws. Such employers will never be troubled by the public policy exception because their operations and practices will not violate public policy.