An ex-UnitedHealth employee who insulted his supervisor was guilty of willful misconduct and is not entitled to unemployment insurance, a Connecticut appellate court has ruled in upholding a lower court, BusinessInsurance.com reports.
According to the decision in Andre Joseph vs. Administrator, Unemployment Compensation Act by the Connecticut Appellate Court in Hartford, Joseph began working in 2007 for Minnesota-based United Healthcare Services Inc., now UnitedHealthcare, the online report says.
In 2008, the company named Debbie Lee as his accounting supervisor. Â Lee attempted to train Mr. Joseph on reconciling accounts on several occasions, but his work continued to be unsatisfactory, BusinessInsurance.com reports, citing the decision it says is to be released officially on Tuesday.
Joseph was fired for sending Lee a deragotary email.
A referee upheld the dismissal, stating Joseph’s actions constituted “willful misconduct” and he was not entitled to unemployment insurance.
A lower court ruled that Joseph was not entitled to reconsideration of the Employment Security Division Board of Review’s decision to reject his assertion that he was discharged as a whistle-blower for challenging UnitedHealthcare’s practices and denied him benefits.
