Montgomery County Hospital District v. Brown

in which PHILLIPS, Chief Justice, ENOCH, SPECTOR, OWEN, BAKER and ABBOTT, Justices, joined.

The principal issue before us is whether at-will employment can be modified by nothing more than an employer’s oral assurances that an employee whose work is satisfactory will not be terminated without good cause. We hold that an employer’s oral statements do not modify an employee’s at-will status absent a definite, stated intention to the contrary. We conclude that the court of appeals improperly reversed the summary judgment for the employer in this case. 929 S.W.2d 577.

For ten years Valarie Brown…