Ernest Frank Thomas, Appellant v. State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation, Division Of…

Summary

The Alaska Supreme Court affirmed the superior court’s grant of summary judgment on Thomas’s due‑process, covenant‑of‑good‑faith, whistle‑blower and wrongful‑termination claims, denied his motion for a new trial based on alleged juror misconduct, and upheld the $75,000 attorney‑fees award to the State. The court held that no genuine issue of material fact existed on the dismissed claims, that the juror‑misconduct allegations fell outside the narrow exceptions of Alaska Evidence Rule 606(b), and that the fee award was reasonable and did not impair access to the courts.