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Moore v. Pulaski County Special School District

Ark. Ct. App.May 2, 2001No. CA 00-978Cited 10 times
Plaintiff WinPulaski County Special School District$26,657.27 awarded
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Case Details

Judge(s)
John B. Robbins
Status — whether other courts must follow this ruling
Published
Procedural Posture — the stage the case had reached
appeal

Related Laws

No specific laws identified for this ruling.

Claim Types

Breach of ContractWrongful Termination

Outcome

Teacher who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder from poisoning incident won damages for one year of paid leave under Arkansas statute. Court awarded $26,657.27 after deducting disability retirement income already received.

Excerpt

1. Statutes — construction — factors considered. — In considering the meaning of a statute, the appellate court considers it just as it reads, giving words their ordinary and usually accepted meaning in common language; if the language of a statute is clear and unambiguous and conveys a clear and definite meaning, there is no occasion for resorting to rules of statutory interpretation; where the meaning is not clear, the court looks to the language of the statute, the subject matter, the remedy provided, the legislative history, and other appropriate means that shed light on the subject; the appellate court will also look to the object to be accomplished and the purpose to be served by the statute. 2. Statutes — construction — standard on appeal. — Although the appellate court is not bound by the decision of the trial court, in absence of a showing that the trial court erred in its interpretation of the law, the appellate court will accept that interpretation as correct on appeal. 3. Statutes — construction — absurd conclusion will not be reached. — The appellate court will not interpret a statute in a manner so as to reach an absurd conclusion that is contrary to legislative intent. 4. Schools school districts — statute expressly directed that school districts incorporate its rights into their written personnel policies — general savings clause insufficient to comply with statute's express directive. — Where appellee contended that Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-1209 did not provide a private right of action and simply required school districts to incorporate its terms into their written personnel policies, but presented no support for its argument that the general savings clause in the Professional Negotiations Agreement (PNA) was sufficient to comply with the express directive in Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-1209</cro

What This Ruling Means

**Moore v. Pulaski County Special School District: Court Ruling Summary** This case involved a dispute between an employee named Moore and the Pulaski County Special School District in Arkansas, though the specific details of what happened between them are not clear from the available information. The Arkansas Court of Appeals issued a ruling in May 2001, but the outcome and court's decision are not specified in the available records. The case dealt with employment law issues, but no damages were reported as part of the resolution. The court ruling focused heavily on how to interpret statutes (written laws). The judges explained that when reading a law, they first look at the plain, ordinary meaning of the words. If the language is clear and straightforward, they don't need to dig deeper into complex legal interpretation rules. However, when the meaning isn't obvious, courts must examine the entire statute and consider what lawmakers intended when they wrote it. For workers, this case highlights an important principle: employment laws should be interpreted using their common, everyday meaning first. This approach can make workplace protections more accessible and understandable, rather than getting lost in complex legal language that might favor employers with better legal resources.

This summary was generated to explain the ruling in plain English and is not legal advice.

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