The California Supreme Court was recently asked to decide if an employee’s refusal to sign for the “receipt” of a disciplinary notice is “misconduct” which would disqualify him from receiving Unemployment Insurance. The answer is NO.
The case went through various administrative appeals and was finally heard by the California Supreme Court which focused on the “humanitarian purpose of the unemployment compensation statutes” along with “judging the reasonableness of the employee’s action in the light of the circumstances facing him and the knowledge possessed by him at the time.”
The Court found the Employee was not engaging in misconduct within the meaning of the Unemployment Insurance Code. There was no substantial evidence of deliberate, willful, and intentional disobedience. Instead, the employee’s judgment was made in good faith, albeit in error, and he was therefore entitled to receive the humanitarian-based unemployment benefits.