Court Opinion

ID: 9773386
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 17:44:01.113744+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:31:52.981574
License: Public Domain

Robert H. Dudley, Justice, dissenting. The trial court directed a verdict against the plaintiff-employee, ruling that the conduct of the defendant-employer (a) was not sufficiently egregious to constitute the tort of outrage, and (b) that the appellant did not suffer severe emotional distress. The majority affirms on both points. I dissent on both points. The rules of appellate review are very important in this case. The first of those rules is that in reviewing the granting of a directed verdict we are required to examine the evidence, including all reasonable inferences, in a light most favorable to the non-moving party. Stalter v. Coca-Cola Bottling Co., 282 Ark. 443, 445, 669 S. W.2d 460, 462 (1984). Sometimes we state the rule as “on appeal the evidence of the party against whom a motion for a directed verdict is granted will be given its highest and strongest probative value, with all reasonable inferences allowable.” Nunley v. Orrell, 282 Ark. 593, 593, 670 S.W.2d 425, 425 (1984). In reviewing the evidence with the above rule of review in mind, it becomes clear that six key facts were developed: (1) In March, 1980, the appellee hired appellant as a manager of the electrical department of the Pirelli Cable Corporation’s Hot Springs factory. In March, 1982, he was promoted to project engineer for the factory. (2) Although the plant building was one-quarter of a mile long and covered three levels, he was required in 1983 to give out work assignments in the presence of his employees. Unlike the other supervisory personnel, he was not allowed to give out the assignments by telephone or to have the crews report to his office. (3) In January, 1984, he was told by his supervisor that he had to work 10 hours a day, seven days a week, and that the purpose was harassment. For the next few weeks he was required to attend a “meeting” during the tenth hour of each day. No one else would be at the “meeting,” but he was required to stay there for the full hour. He was again told this was for the purpose of harassment. (4) In February, 1984, a machine in the factory sat in an inoperable condition, and there were no parts available to fix it. He was ordered to stay at the factory all night and fix the machine. (5) In the final act of harassment he was asked by his supervisor to sign a statement which provided that his position was lower than it was. (6) Throughout the year and one-half of harassment, he suffered from emotional distress and, as a direct result, had various problems such as chest pains and insomnia. The next applicable rule of appellate review which must be considered is the rule which provides that if the above stated facts constitute substantial evidence of the tort of outrage, then it was error to take the case from the jury. Ikani v. Bennett, 284 Ark. 409, 410, 682 S.W.2d 747, 748 (1985). Accordingly, we must next examine our cases to determine whether these facts fit within the tort of outrage. We first recognized the tort of outrage in M.B.M. Co. v. Counce, 268 Ark. 269, 596 S.W.2d 681 (1980). We said, “[W]e can and do now recognize that one who by extreme and outrageous conduct wilfully and wantonly causes severe emotional distress to another is subject to liability for such emotional distress and for bodily harm resulting from the distress.” Id. at 280, 596 S.W.2d at 687. However, we took care to note that to be tortious a high level of outrageousness is required: “By extreme and outrageous conduct, we mean conduct that is so outrageous in character, and so extreme in degree, as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency, and to be regarded as atrocious, and utterly intolerable in a civilized society.” Id. In Counce, the plaintiff was fired and the employer deducted $36.00 from her final paycheck to cover missing money, despite the fact that the plaintiff denied stealing the money and was shown to be telling the truth by a polygraph machine. In a proceeding comparable to the case at bar, we reversed the lower court’s summary judgment against the plaintiff, holding, “We have no hesitation in saying there was a material issue of fact as to whether [the employer’s] conduct was extreme and outrageous.” Id. at 281, 596 S.W.2d at 688. The facts of this case, when viewed most favorably to the appellant, show extreme harassment pursued over the period of a year and one-half. That is more egregious than was the simple withholding of $36.00 in the Counce case. Since we held there was a material issue of fact as to whether the employer’s conduct was extreme and outrageous in the Counce case, and since this case is even more egregious, we should hold there is a material issue of fact in this case. Next, the facts, as tested under the rules of appellate review, establish that the appellant felt humiliated, suffered from stress, and, as a result, had physical problems such as chest pain and insomnia. Thus, there was sufficient testimony to avoid a directed verdict on the issue of emotional distress because the motion should be granted only when the proof would not support a verdict. Nunley v. Orrell, 282 Ark. 593, 670 S.W.2d 425 (1984). Purtle, J., joins in this dissent.