Marshall Field Stores, Inc. v. Gardiner

OPINION

WILSON, Justice.

In April 1986, Marshall Field Stores, Inc., acting through employees Bonnie Beirne and Susan Varga, terminated Gary Gard-iner from his sales job with one of its Houston stores. The dismissal resulted from Gardiner’s failure to account for a missing $100 bill to management’s satisfaction, and in Gardiner’s view, the “firing” branded him as a thief. According to Gardiner’s testimony, his several attempts at communication with Marshall Field after his discharge, made in an effort to vindicate himself, were rebuffed and ignored. Ultimately, Gardiner filed this lawsuit.

In…