Beauchaton v. Employment Dept.

• Court: Oregon Court of Appeals
• Area(s) of Law: Employment Law
• Date Filed: 11-09-2011
• Case #: A147446
• Judge(s)/Court Below: Schuman, P.J. for the Court; Wollheim, J.; & Nakamoto, J.

When an employee leaves for their own safety due to a reasonable belief they are being stalked, then they are not disqualified for voluntarily quitting their job without “good cause.”

Beauchaton (claimant) quit her job as a paralegal because she believed her supervisor stalked her after work. Claimant was denied unemployment benefits because she voluntarily quit without good cause. The board affirmed the decision of the ALJ because claimant did not meet her burden to establish a just cause exception under ORS 657.176(12). On appeal, claimant contended that the board erred when it evaluated her claim under the general “good cause” standard, rather than a different standard established for stalking claims. The Court of Appeals held that if claimant quit her job because she had a reasonable belief she was stalked, then she could not be disqualified from receiving benefits for leaving without “good cause”. Reversed and remanded

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