Staton v. Amax Coal Co.

William V. Staton, the plaintiff-appellant, was employed as a maintenance manager for Amax Coal Company, the defendant-appellee. Sta-ton had no employment contract with the defendant; he was an at-will employee. Staton was involuntarily terminated by Amax and filed suit seeking payment of termination pay pursuant to an Organization and Policy Guide issued by Amax. The Guide did not apply to “discharge for cause.” The trial court granted Amax’ motion for summary judgment based upon its findings that there was no genuine issue as to any material fact and that Staton was discharged for cause as…