Kevorkian v. Glass
Rhode Island Supreme Court
913 A.2d 1043 (2007)
- Written by Sharon Feldman, JD
Facts
Paula Kevorkian (plaintiff) worked as a nurse at Pawtuxet Village Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The nursing director, Judith Glass (defendant) claimed that Kevorkian had failed to dispense medication to patients and suspended Kevorkian for three days for insubordination. Kevorkian resigned. Two years later, Kevorkian applied to an employment-placement service. Glass was asked to provide a reference for Kevorkian and told the placement service that she would not rehire Kevorkian because of Kevorkian’s unacceptable work-practice habits. Kevorkian learned about Glass’s reference and sued Glass for defamation. The court granted summary judgment to Glass, finding that Glass’s statement was protected by a statutory qualified privilege for former employers’ communications to prospective employers and that Kevorkian had not rebutted the presumption of Glass’s good faith. Kevorkian appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Flaherty, J.)
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