Employer – Employee : Wrongful Termination – Public Policy Exception – Attorney Rules Of Conduct

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Where an attorney who handled litigation for an insurer brought a wrongful termination case alleging that he was fired in violation of public policy, and the attorney alleged that his complaints about increased workload constituted an exercise of professional judgment and that the workload compromised his ability to represent his clients in violation of Rules 4-1.1 and 4-5.4(c) of the Missouri Rules of Professional Responsibility, the rules do not constitute a clear mandate of public policy and could not serve as the basis for the wrongful termination claim,

Judgment is affirmed.

Defoe v. American Family Mutual Insurance Company (MLW No. 70589/Case No. WD80069 – 13 pages) (Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, Mitchell, J.) Appealed from circuit court, Jackson County, Youngs, J. (Kirk Holman and Kenneth D. Kinney, Kansas City, Missouri, for appellant) (Jeffrey D. Hanslick, Curtis R. Summers, and Robert J. Rojas, Kansas City, Missouri, for respondent).

Read the full text of this opinion. (PDF)