CompFox AI Summary
This consolidated case addresses whether a back-pay award from an arbitrator, under a collective bargaining agreement, constitutes 'wages' under the Tennessee Employment Security Law, thereby entitling the Department of Employment Security to a refund of unemployment benefits paid to discharged employees. Five employees of Heil-Quaker Corporation were discharged, received unemployment benefits, and later were reinstated with back pay, from which the arbitrator deducted the benefits. The Chancery Courts of Giles and Marshall Counties ruled against the Department, holding back pay was not wages. The Tennessee Supreme Court reversed, deeming back-pay awards as 'wages' that disqualify recipients from unemployment benefits and affirming the Department's authority to seek reimbursement.
Griggs v. Sands is a workers' compensation case decided in Tennessee Supreme Court. This case addresses legal issues related to compensation claims, benefits, and court rulings.
It is commonly referenced in legal research involving workers' compensation laws in Tennessee Supreme Court.
Full Decision Text1 Pages
This consolidated case addresses whether a back-pay award from an arbitrator, under a collective bargaining agreement, constitutes 'wages' under the Tennessee Employment Security Law, thereby entitling the Department of Employment Security to a refund of unemployment benefits paid to discharged employees. Five employees of Heil-Quaker Corporation were discharged, received unemployment benefits, and later were reinstated with back pay, from which the arbitrator deducted the benefits. The Chancery Courts of Giles and Marshall Counties ruled against the Department, holding back pay was not wages. The Tennessee Supreme Court reversed, deeming back-pay awards as 'wages' that disqualify recipients from unemployment benefits and affirming the Department's authority to seek reimbursement.
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