Rohrback v. Illinois Department of Employment Security

**What Happened** Two Illinois state employees, the Rohrbacks, were suspended from their jobs by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. The state accused them of improperly handling employment transactions and failing to resign properly from their positions. The employees challenged this discipline, arguing they had followed the state's own advice about these employment matters and had done nothing wrong. **What the Court Decided** The court sided with the employees. The appellate court upheld a lower court's decision to throw out the suspension and restore both workers to new four-year terms with clean records. The court found that the state had actually advised the employees on how to handle these employment transactions, and there was no evidence they had failed to resign properly or done anything inappropriate. **Why This Matters for Workers** This case shows that employers cannot punish workers for following the employer's own guidance. If your employer advises you on how to handle work matters and you follow that advice, they cannot later discipline you for doing what they told you to do. Workers have protection against unfair retaliation when they act in good faith based on their employer's instructions.