AAA Cooper Transp. v. Sims

• Decision Date: 13 March 1998
• Parties: AAA COOPER TRANSPORTATION v. Jimmy SIMS. 1961404.
• Court: Alabama Supreme Court

Page 781

715 So.2d 781 AAA COOPER TRANSPORTATION
v.
Jimmy SIMS. 1961404. Supreme Court of Alabama. March 13, 1998.
Rehearing Denied May 22, 1998.

Appeal from Calhoun Circuit Court (CV-95-317), R. Joel Laird, Jr., Judge.

Kurt A. Powell of Hunton & Williams, Atlanta, GA; and James S. Hubbard, Anniston, for appellant.

Philip E. Miles and Gregory S. Cusimano of Cusimano, Keener, Roberts & Kimberley, P.C., Gadsden; and Patrick Hughes of Rogers, Young, Wollstein & Hughes, L.L.C., Anniston, for appellee.

SHORES, Justice.

Pursuant to Rule 5, Ala. R.App. P., this Court granted AAA Cooper Transportation, Inc., permission to appeal from an interlocutory order denying its motion for a summary judgment in an action brought by Jimmy Sims, alleging retaliatory discharge in violation of Ala.Code 1975, § 25-5-11.1.

AFFIRMED. NO OPINION. See Rule 53(a)(1) and (a)(2)(F), Ala. R.App. P.

ALMON, KENNEDY, COOK, and BUTTS, JJ., concur.

HOOPER, C.J., and MADDOX, HOUSTON, and SEE, JJ., dissent.

MADDOX, Justice (dissenting).

Because I believe that the defendant AAA Cooper Transportation ("Cooper") demonstrated that it terminated the plaintiff Jimmy Sims's employment for a legitimate reason, and because I believe that Sims has presented no substantial evidence indicating that Cooper's reason was a pretext for an impermissible termination, I do not believe that a jury question exists. Therefore, I must respectfully dissent. See Alexander v. Jitney Jungle Stores of America, Inc., 673 So.2d 402, 404 (Ala.1995) (Maddox, J., dissenting).

HOOPER, C.J., and HOUSTON, J., concur.