Bruner v. University of Southern Mississippi

501 So. 2d 1113 (1987)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Bruner v. University of Southern Mississippi

Mississippi Supreme Court
501 So. 2d 1113 (1987)

Facts

Jerry Bruner (plaintiff) applied for an assistant football coach position at the University of Southern Mississippi (defendant). Bruner met with the university’s head football coach, Jim Carmody, the university’s president, Dr. Aubrey Lucas, and the university’s athletic director, Roland Dale. According to Bruner, Carmody offered him the job, leading Bruner to withdraw his name from other vacant coaching positions. Thereafter, Bruner received keys to an automobile and an administrative office from Carmody and was provided access to game film. Bruner and his family also began moving from Texas to Mississippi. Dale notified Bruner, however, that he should not appear on the practice field before the approval of Carmody’s recommendation by the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (the board), which, according to state law, has the sole authority to offer employment contracts on behalf of state universities. Dale also told Bruner that Bruner could return to Texas to await the board’s approval. Days later, Dale notified Bruner that he did not receive the job. Though both Dale and Carmody had recommended Bruner for the job, Lucas did not make that recommendation to the board. The board never approved Bruner for the job or offered him a contract. Bruner filed a lawsuit against the university, the board, Lucas, Dale, and Carmody. The trial court granted directed verdicts in favor of the university, the board, Lucas, and Dale. A jury returned a verdict in favor of Carmody. Bruner appealed, arguing, among other things, that the trial court should not have granted a directed verdict in favor of the university because Carmody had the apparent authority to offer an employment contract on behalf of the university.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Griffin, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 815,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership