Paolini v. Albertson's Inc.

EISMANN, Justice.

We have accepted questions of law certified by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals asking us whether stock options constitute wages under Chapter 6 of Title 45, Idaho Code, and whether terminating an employee for trying to exercise his right to receive wages violates Idaho’s public policy exception to at-will employment. We answer the first question in the negative, which renders the second question moot.

I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Brace Paolini was an employee of Albert-son’s, Inc. (Albertson’s) for seventeen years. During that time he received several thousand stock…