Sunday, October 05, 2008

appellate rules - petitioner for allowance of appeal - PRAP 1115

order - http://www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Supreme/out/196aplt.1.pdf

rule - http://www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Supreme/out/196aplt.1attach.pdf

evidence - offers to compromise - Pa. R. Evid. 408

http://www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Supreme/out/451spct.1attach.pdf

http://www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Supreme/out/451spct.1rpt.pdf

http://www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Supreme/out/451spct.1.pdf

UC - vol. quit - intolerable conditions - unjust accusations

First Federal Savings Bank v. UCBR - Commonwealth Court - October 2, 2008

http://www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Cwealth/out/427CD08_10-2-08.pdf

Held that claimant had good cause/necessitour & compelling reason to quit her job, where

- she was a valued management employeee

- a fellow employee “engaged in outbursts, was talking, defiant and argumentative, and was quite disrespectful to the claimant personally.”

- claimant expressed her concerns about this to senior management, who did not do anything about it

- claimant established that “1) circumstances existed which produced real and substantial pressure to terminate employment; 2) like circumstances would compel a reasonable person to act in the same manner; 3) she acted with ordinary common sense; and 4) she made a reasonable effort to preserve her employment.”

- She had ‘good cause’ for voluntarily leaving (i.e. that cause which is necessitous and compelling) resulting from circumstances which produced pressure to terminate employment that was both real and substantial, and which would compel a reasonable person under the circumstances to act in the same manner.”

- "Perhaps most important to the present case, it is well established that “a claimant need not indefinitely subject herself to unjust accusations and abusive conduct.” However, “[r]esentmentof a reprimand, absent unjust accusations, profane language or abusive conduct …mere disappointment with wages … and personality conflicts, absent intolerable working atmosphere … do not amount to necessitous and compelling causes.”

- Claimant demonstrated more than a mere belief of unjust accusations, as the Board concluded that Claimant was, in fact, unjustly reprimanded with abusive language and that Claimant was subjected to intolerable working conditions.

- Claimant made attempts on various occasions to preserve her employment relationship with Employer without success. Claimant took her concerns to senior management officials and was reasonable in doing so