Bala v. Commonwealth

Opinion by

President Judge Bowman,

This case involves the denial of unemployment compensation benefits because of an employee’s private communication to the employer’s hotel guest concerning a nonbusiness related matter. At issue is whether the communication involved is protected speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, rendering the denial of benefits unconstitutional as a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments, and, if not, whether the employee’s conduct in sending the communication rose to willful misconduct justifying denial of unemployment compensation…