Halvorsen

An at-will employee is terminated and sues his manager, alleging the manager intentionally interfered with the employment relationship by wrongfully inducing the employer to terminate him. Under such circumstances, we conclude the manager has an absolute privilege against liability for inducing the termination of the employee. We also conclude the employer is not liable for breach of contract or of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing. We therefore affirm the judgment in this case in favor of the employer and the manager.

Facts and Procedure

Plaintiff Boyd M. Halvorsen, Sr., worked as a district manager in Sparks, Nevada, for defendant Aramark Uniform Services, Inc. Peter Scianna, his immediate superior, was based in Sacramento. In December 1994, Baldini’s casino requested $15,000 worth of specialty linens for its new steak house. Aramark would retain ownership of the linens and earn profits by servicing them. However, Baldini’s did not wish to enter into a long-term contract. Because of the risk of purchasing the specialty linens without a long-term contract, Halvorsen obtained the approval of Scianna to go forward.

Three weeks after opening the steak house,…