Phistry v. Department of Employment

**Phistry v. Department of Employment: Personal Use of Company Credit Card Costs Worker Unemployment Benefits** This case involved a worker named Phistry who was denied unemployment benefits after being fired from their job with Eugene C. Decker. Phistry had used a company credit card for personal expenses, which violated their employer's policy. When Phistry applied for unemployment benefits, the state's Board of Review denied the claim, ruling that the firing was due to workplace misconduct. Phistry disagreed and took the case to court. The appellate court sided with the state agency and upheld the denial of unemployment benefits. The court found that using the business credit card for personal charges was a willful violation of a reasonable workplace policy, which qualified as misconduct under unemployment law. **What this means for workers:** This ruling reinforces that employees can be disqualified from receiving unemployment benefits if they're fired for misconduct, even if the misconduct seems minor. Workers should be especially careful about following company policies regarding financial matters like credit cards or expense accounts. Violating these policies—even if you intended to pay the money back—can be considered serious enough misconduct to lose your right to unemployment benefits when you're terminated.