Hermidas v. Unemployment Appeals Commission

**What Happened** Maria Hermidas gave notice to her employer that she planned to quit her job on a future date. However, her employer fired her before that date arrived. When Hermidas applied for unemployment benefits, the state denied her claim. She appealed this decision, arguing that since she was actually fired, she should qualify for benefits. **What the Court Decided** The court sided with the state unemployment office and upheld the denial of benefits. The judge ruled that even though Hermidas was technically fired, her unemployment was still considered "voluntary" because she had already announced her intention to quit. The court found that her notice to quit was the primary cause of her unemployment, not the employer's decision to let her go early. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling shows that giving notice to quit can have serious consequences for unemployment benefits, even if you end up getting fired before your planned last day. Workers should be aware that announcing plans to resign might disqualify them from unemployment compensation, regardless of whether they actually quit or get terminated first. This could affect decisions about when and how to give notice to employers.