Francis v. Lee Enterprises, Inc.

Opinion of the Court by

MOON, C. J.

Plaintiff-appellant Russ Francis filed an action in the first circuit court against defendant-appellee Lee Enterprises, Inc., dba KGMB [hereinafter, KGMB], in which he asserted, inter alia, a claim for tortious breach of an employment contract. After removing the action to the United States District Court for the District of Hawai'i, KGMB moved to dismiss Francis’s tortious breach of contract claim, arguing that Ha-wai'i law does not recognize tortious breach of contract in the “employment context.” Francis countered that Hawai'i law recognizes tortious…