Scribner v. Worldcom, Inc.
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
249 F.3d 902 (9th Cir. 2001)
Relevant factsFree
WorldCom's (defendant) stock-option contract with VP Scribner (plaintiff) provided immediate vesting if he was terminated "without cause," a term the plan and contract left undefined but gave WorldCom's board broad discretion to determine; WorldCom terminated Scribner not for any performance issue, but because it sold his division and the buyer wanted to retain the position's incumbent employees, yet WorldCom still treated the termination as "for cause" for stock-option purposes, and the district court granted WorldCom summary judgment.
IssueFree
Whether termination without cause in the employment context ordinarily relates to an employee's performance.