DeRose v. Putnam Management Co.

The plaintiff, Salvatore DeRose, a former at-will employee of the defendant, Putnam Management Company, Inc., brought an action on a theory of breach of contract for wrongful discharge. The gravamen of the complaint is that the defendant wrongfully discharged the plaintiff in reprisal for the plaintiff’s testimony at the criminal trial of another employee for the theft of some securities. The question presented is whether an employee at-will may resort to the courts for a remedy if the employee at-will is dismissed in violation of public policy in circumstances in which the employer does not…