Sleeping on the Job Constitutes Good-Cause for Termination

In Williams v. Solvay Chemicals Inc., the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, the federal court having jurisdiction over Utah, ruled that an employee who was terminated for sleeping on the job did not have a claim against his employer even thought he had an employment contract that only allowed for termination for good cause.  The court, applying Wyoming law, ruled that the company had a good faith belief that the employee could be terminated for sleeping on the job and that the stated reason for the termination was “applied in good faith.”