Court Rules on “Protected Class”

RALEIGH — In an April 20 decision, a divided panel of the N.C. Court of Appeals affirmed a lower-court ruling that state employment law does not recognize domestic-abuse victims as a protected class. Soon after James Imes‘ wife shot him in a domestic dispute, he was fired from his job as a bus driver. He alleges that a supervisor informed him that the termination was because he was a victim of domestic violence. Under the state’s “at will” doctrine, an employer can legally fire a worker for virtually any reason — except on grounds that would violate an established public policy. The court rejectted Imes’ claim to qualify for the exception.