Harris v. Adams

The question before us is whether the plaintiff’s eligibility for unemployment benefits is to be determined by the law in effect at the time of her application for benefits, or whether a subsequent statutory change amending the eligibility requirement will apply to preclude the plaintiff’s receiving unemployment compensation. We hold that the legislature did not intend the statutory amendment to apply retrospectively so as to deprive an individual of benefits she had already qualified for and received.

The plaintiff, Pauline Harris, was laid off from her job as a shirt presser at a laundry in…