Jennifer Janetsky v. County of Saginaw

Summary

The Michigan Supreme Court held that Saginaw County qualifies as an employer subject to suit under the Whistleblowers’ Protection Act, that a wrongful-termination public-policy claim may arise from efforts to prevent or remedy an actual or potential legal violation, and that genuine issues of material fact support Janetsky’s false-imprisonment and assault-and-battery claims. The Court reversed and vacated portions of the Court of Appeals’ decision and remanded for the trial court to apply the newly announced public-policy test. Justice Zahra, in a separate opinion not included in the separate-opinions record, would have affirmed dismissal of the public-policy and intentional-tort claims.