Supreme Court of New Jersey
John W. MacDougall, Plaintiff-Appellant v. James M. Weichert
June 10, 1996144 N.J. 380
Summary
The Supreme Court of New Jersey reversed the Appellate Division and remanded for further proceedings, holding that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment on the issues of employment status, wrongful discharge, and tortious interference; the court clarified the public‑policy mandate of N.J.S.A. 2C:27‑3 and 2C:27‑5 protecting public‑official employees from retaliatory discharge. Justice O’Hern concurred and Chief Justice Wilentz dissented, arguing the majority’s standard is too narrow.