King v. Administrator, Unemployment Compensation Act

**What happened:** King, a former employee of Connecticut Container Corporation, was fired after being accused of physically assaulting someone at work. When he applied for unemployment benefits, the state denied his claim. King challenged this decision, arguing that he should receive benefits and that the unemployment board's hearing process was unfair because they considered a statement from his supervisor who wasn't sworn in under oath. **What the court decided:** The court sided with the state unemployment board and upheld the denial of King's benefits. The judges ruled that King's termination was justified because physical assault at work counts as "willful misconduct" - serious wrongdoing that disqualifies someone from receiving unemployment compensation. The court also found that the hearing process was fair, even though the supervisor's statement wasn't given under oath, because other sworn testimony backed up the assault allegations. **Why this matters for workers:** This case shows that employees fired for violent behavior at work will likely be denied unemployment benefits. Physical assault is considered serious misconduct that makes workers ineligible for these benefits. Workers should understand that unemployment compensation isn't available when termination results from deliberate wrongdoing, especially violence in the workplace.