Hansen v. America Online, Inc.
Supreme Court of Utah
96 P.3d 950 (Utah 2004)
Luke Hansen, Jason Melling, and Paul Carlson (plaintiffs) worked at an AOL (defendant) call center that prominently prohibited firearms in the building and in AOL's leased parking area; the plaintiffs knew of the policy. After being observed transferring firearms into a car in the parking area before going target shooting, they were discharged as at-will employees. They sued for wrongful termination, arguing their right to possess firearms was protected by clear public policy. The trial court granted AOL summary judgment, and plaintiffs appealed.
Whether, under employment law, the public-policy exception to the at-will employment rule applies when the asserted public policy is not clear and substantial.