Coffey v. City of Oak Ridge

5 Citing cases

  1. Amos v. McNairy Cnty.

    622 F. App'x 529 (6th Cir. 2015)   Cited 24 times

    Amos bears the burden of establishing each element of a cause of action for retaliatory discharge. Coffey v. City of Oak Ridge, No. E2013-02200-COA-R3-CV, 2014 WL 4536364, at *3 (Tenn. Ct. App. Sept. 12, 2014). Pursuant to the TPPA, "illegal activities" are defined as "activities that are in violation of the criminal or civil code of this state or the United States or any regulation intended to protect the public health, safety or welfare."

  2. Mofield v. Rich Prods. Corp.

    NO. 3:16-cv-00033 (M.D. Tenn. Jul. 10, 2018)

    Tenn. Code Ann. ยง 50-1-304(a)(3). A plaintiff can maintain an action so long as his belief that a law was violated was reasonable and he acted in good faith in reporting it. Coffey v. City of Oak Ridge, 2014 WL 4536364, at *4 (Tenn. Ct. App. Sept. 12, 2014) (citing Mason v. Seaton, 942 S.W.2d 470, 472 (Tenn. 1997)).

  3. Crumpley v. Anderson Cnty.

    No. 3:14-CV-559-PLR-CCS (E.D. Tenn. Feb. 16, 2016)   Cited 1 times
    Concluding that temporal proximity established a prima facie case of both interference and retaliation where employee was terminated six days after requesting FMLA leave

    Crumpley responds that whether punitive damages are available under the TPPA is a question that has not yet been settled by Tennessee courts. Crumpley acknowledges that the THRA has never provided for punitive damages, but states that in Coffey v. City of Oak Ridge, 2014 Tenn. App. LEXIS 564, the Tennessee Court of Appeals found that "the issue of punitive damages when a suit is brought under the TPPA has not been addressed by the courts and is an issue of first impression." Id. at 18.

  4. Hollis v. Extra Space Mgmt., Inc.

    NO. 3-14-1457 (M.D. Tenn. Dec. 15, 2014)

    Plaintiff contends that she reported to her supervisor, and later to the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("TOSHA"), the presence of asbestos in her company-owned residence and that she was constructively discharged in retaliation for her complaints. A plaintiff can maintain an action so long as her belief that a law was violated was reasonable and she acted in good faith in reporting it. Coffey v. City of Oak Ridge, 2014 WL 4536364 at * 4 (Tenn. Ct. App. Sept. 12, 2014) (citing Mason v. Seaton, 942 S.W.2d 470, 472 (Tenn. 1997)).

  5. King v. Delfasco, LLC

    646 S.W.3d 456 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2021)   Cited 2 times

    To prevail on a TPPA claim, a plaintiff must prove each element of the claim by a preponderance of the evidence. Coffey v. City of Oak Ridge , No. E2013-02200-COA-R3-CV, 2014 WL 4536364, at *3 (Tenn. Ct. App. Sept. 12, 2014), Rule 11 perm. app. denied Jan. 16, 2015. An employee may not prevail under the TPPA simply by characterizing the employer's actions as "wrong" nor by citing "public policy" in a conclusory fashion.