Deterring Egregious Violations of Public Policy: A Proposed Amendment to the Model Employment Termination Act

Authors

Dawn S. Perry

Abstract

The Model Employment Termination Act (Model Act), if enacted by state legislatures, would provide good cause protection to private sector employees. In exchange for this increased job security, the Model Act limits the range of remedies available for wrongful discharges. This Comment compares the remedies available under common law to those embodied in the Model Act and concludes that the Model Act does not adequately deter abusive discharges in violation of public policy. By amending the Model Act to include a capped punitive damages provision for egregious violations of public policy, state legislatures can achieve deterrence without undermining the compromise philosophy of the Model Act.

First Page

915

Recommended Citation

Dawn S. Perry, Comment, Deterring Egregious Violations of Public Policy: A Proposed Amendment to the Model Employment Termination Act, 67 Wash. L. Rev. 915 (1992).
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wlr/vol67/iss4/6