Rulon-Miller v. IBM Corp.
Court of Appeal of California
208 Cal. Rptr. 524 (Cal. Ct. App. 1984)
Rulon-Miller (plaintiff), a well-regarded low-level IBM (defendant) manager, was openly dating a man who had left IBM to work for a competitor; after her manager questioned the relationship and she asserted a right to privacy under IBM's own stated policies (which restricted off-the-job conduct only if it affected job performance or IBM's reputation), IBM fired her for an alleged conflict of interest despite having no specific policy against dating a competitor's employee. Rulon-Miller sued for wrongful discharge and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and the jury found in her favor; IBM appealed.
Whether an employer's discharge of an employee is wrongful if the employee was discharged in violation of the employer's own rules and regulations.