Nelson v Robot Support, Inc.
Digest No. 12.160
Cite as: Nelson v Robot Support, Inc, unpublished opinion of the Macomb County Circuit Court, issued October 3, 2017 (Docket No. 17-0123-AE).
Court: Circuit Court
Appeal pending:No
Claimant: Lisa Nelson
Employer: Robot Support, Inc.
Date of decision: October 3, 2017
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HOLDING: Excessive absences beyond a claimant’s control do not constitute the basis for misconduct. A claimant’s use of text messaging, instead of telephone, to communicate with his or her employer regarding the absences also does not constitute misconduct.
FACTS: Claimant was employed by Robot Support as an administrative assistant. Claimant left work in April 2016 to care for her mother, who was ill. During that time, Claimant also became ill and ended up missing 19 consecutive days of work. During that absence, Claimant sent her employer text messages to keep it updated. When Claimant returned to work, she was fired.
DECISION: It is well established that excessive absences beyond a claimant’s control do not constitute the basis for misconduct. Washington v Amway Grand Plaza, 135 Mich App 652, 658 (1984). It was contrary for law for the ALJ in this case to state that Claimant’s excessive absences were disqualifying misconduct, when really it based his decision on the fact that Claimant communicated her need for absences via text message instead of telephone.
RATIONALE: The ALJ’s findings of fact–that Claimant never communicated with her employer regarding the severity of her situation or the need for leave and sent updates to her employer via text–are supported by material and competent evidence. Claimant submitted medical documentation proving that her absences were beyond her control because both she and her mother were ill.
However, the ALJ based its decision on the lack of communication about the absences, not the absences themselves. The ALJ reasoned that it was disqualifying misconduct for Claimant to not call her employer during her extended absence. The Circuit Court held that the ALJ erroneously applied the law to the facts because, according to its decision, Claimant wasn’t terminated for her alleged misconduct, but rather her failure to communicate by telephone. The employer did not have a written policy requiring employee communications by telephone, and Claimant had in the past communicated with her employer via text. The Circuit Court held the decision of the ALJ contrary to law and reversed the decision of the MCAC, which affirmed the ALJ’s decision disqualifying Claimant from receiving benefits.
Digest author: Sarah Harper, Michigan Law, Class of 2017
Digest updated: December 26, 2017