Hansen v. America Online, Inc.
Utah Supreme Court
96 P.3d 950 (2004)
- Written by Sara Rhee, JD
Facts
Luke Hansen, Jason Melling, and Paul Carlson (plaintiffs) were employed by America Online, Inc. (AOL) (defendant) to work at a call center in Ogden, Utah. AOL had a company policy prohibiting employees from possessing firearms at the call center or in the private parking area leased by AOL for its employees. The policy was prominently displayed, and the plaintiffs were aware of the prohibition. Melling and Carlson were observed transferring firearms into Hansen’s car in the parking area before leaving to go target shooting at a gun range. As a result of this firearm possession, AOL discharged the plaintiffs, who were at-will employees. The plaintiffs sued for wrongful termination, arguing that their right to possess firearms was protected by public policy. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of AOL. The plaintiffs appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Nehring, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 804,000 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.