Ozer v. Borquez
Colorado Supreme Court
940 P.2d 371 (1997)
- Written by Sharon Feldman, JD
Facts
Robert Ozer was the president of the firm Ozer & Mullen, P.C. (the firm) (defendants). Robert Borquez (plaintiff) was an associate attorney for the firm. When Borquez learned that his partner had been diagnosed with acquired-immunodeficiency syndrome, Borquez informed Ozer and asked him to keep the information confidential. Ozer told his wife, who supervised two of the firm’s offices, and Ozer’s wife told an attorney at one of the offices. Ozer also told the firm’s office manager and two secretaries. Borquez got upset when he learned the entire firm knew about his personal situation. Borquez was fired a week later. Borquez sued Ozer and the firm for wrongful discharge and invasion of privacy. The court instructed the jury with respect to Borquez’s invasion-of-privacy claim that a statement is “published” when it is communicated to and understood by someone other than the plaintiff. The jury returned a verdict for Borquez. Ozer and the firm appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Vollack, C.J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 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.
