Virginia High Court Sheds Light on At-Will Doctrine

June 9, 2016, 4:00 AM UTC

An at-will employee for a real estate firm in Virginia who was fired without notice can’t proceed with her breach of implied contract claim, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled June 2 (Johnston v. William E. Wood & Assocs., 2016 BL 175129, Va., 151160, 6/2/16).

Under Virginia law, when a contract is silent as to its duration, “either party is ordinarily at liberty to terminate it at-will on giving reasonable notice of his intention to do so,” Justice Stephen R. McCullough wrote for the court.

Rejecting Brenda Johnston’s claim against William E. Wood & Associates Inc., the court said ...

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