Turner v. Memorial Medical Center

Respiratory therapist Turner (plaintiff), during a Joint Commission accreditation survey of Memorial Medical Center (defendant), told the surveyor that Memorial's practice of allowing charting at any point during a shift (rather than immediately after patient care, as the Joint Commission's own standard required) jeopardized patient safety; Turner alleged Memorial fired him in retaliation for these statements and sued for wrongful discharge violating the public policy favoring patient safety. The trial court dismissed the complaint, the appellate court affirmed, and the case reached the Illinois Supreme Court.