Matter of Roy (Commr. of Labor)

**What Happened** Roy worked in food service at a nursing home and was fired after he created and posted offensive videos online. The videos used LEGO figures to depict his employer and coworkers in violent and sexually explicit situations. After being terminated, Roy applied for unemployment benefits, but his application was denied by the state agency. Roy appealed this decision. **What the Court Decided** The court sided with the state agency and upheld the denial of Roy's unemployment benefits. The court agreed that Roy's actions qualified as "misconduct" under unemployment law, which disqualifies workers from receiving benefits. Creating and posting the inappropriate videos was considered serious enough misconduct to justify both his firing and the loss of unemployment benefits. **Why This Matters for Workers** This case shows that workers can lose their right to unemployment benefits if they engage in serious misconduct, even if that misconduct happens outside of work hours. Creating offensive content about your employer or coworkers online can have serious consequences beyond just losing your job – it can also cost you unemployment benefits when you need them most.