Thanks for visiting! Welcome to a new way to research case law. You are viewing a free summary from Descrybe.ai. For citation and good law / bad law checking, legal issue analysis, and other advanced tools, explore our Legal Research Toolkit — not free, but close.
Scott Albert Karcher v. Classic Foods, L.P.
Citation: Not availableDocket: 02-04-00174-CV
Court: Court of Appeals of Texas; April 21, 2005; Texas; State Appellate Court
Scott Albert Karcher sued Classic Foods, L.P. for breach of an employment contract, claiming wrongful termination before the end of a fixed term. The trial court granted summary judgment for Classic Foods, establishing that Karcher was an at-will employee, which justified the termination. Classic Foods had offered Karcher a position as Regional Vice President on March 6, 2002, detailing salary, bonuses, and benefits, but did not specify a fixed term of employment or termination events. Karcher began work on March 25, 2002, but was terminated on April 28, 2003, due to declining revenues, receiving severance through May 12, 2003. Karcher's claim, filed in August 2003, was countered by Classic Foods' motion for summary judgment, which the court granted. Karcher contended that the offer letter constituted a fixed-term contract, while Classic Foods argued that the lack of specific term language maintained Karcher's at-will status, consistent with Texas law allowing termination for any cause absent a specific agreement otherwise. The court affirmed the summary judgment decision. An employment contract requires the employer to clearly express an intent not to terminate the employee except under specified conditions. Without such clarity, employees cannot reasonably limit the employer's rights to terminate at-will. The burden of proof lies with employees to demonstrate a meaningful contract that restricts termination rights. In this case, Karcher's offer letter did not impose any limitations on Classic Foods’s ability to terminate his employment, as it only addressed salary and vacation time. Consequently, Classic Foods established that Karcher was employed at-will, and no breach of contract occurred since no enforceable agreement existed regarding termination. The trial court correctly granted summary judgment in favor of Classic Foods, affirming the ruling and overruling Karcher's appeal.