Speakman v. Ada Ferrell Garden Apts.
Ollie Speakman, Jr., a maintenance supervisor for Ada Ferrell Garden Apartments, appealed the summary judgment granted to his employer by the Circuit Court for Coffee County. Speakman alleged he was terminated in retaliation for filing a worker's compensation claim after sustaining a back injury in November 1992. The Court of Appeals reviewed the summary judgment de novo, considering whether a factual dispute existed, if it was material, and if it created a genuine issue for trial. The court affirmed the Circuit Court's judgment, finding no direct or compelling circumstantial evidence of causation to support Speakman's retaliatory discharge claim, noting that subjective beliefs alone do not create a genuine issue of material fact.