The Connecticut Appellate court, in a decision that will be officially released next week, affirmed a dismissal an employee’s wrongful discharge claim in violation of “public policy” where the employee did not tie it to an explicit statutory or constitutional provision. 

The case, Armshaw v. Greenwich Hospital, can be downloaded here. 

Here’s what you need to know as an employer:

Connecticut is an as at-will state in the absence of a contract.  Most employment law claims against employers, however, derive from a specific violation of law — like Title VII which prohibits employers from discriminating because of race or gender. 

But the Connecticut Supreme Court has recognized a “common law” (as opposed to statutory law) claim of wrongful discharge.  In order to win such a claim, the employee has to show that the wrongful discharge violated some important public policy that the legislature highlighted (like keeping the food supply safe)...

Please see full article below for more information.