BALMER et al. v. ELAN CORPORATION et al. , 278 Ga. 227

Summary

The employees were laboratory analysts for a pharmaceutical company that was subject to inspections by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which cited the employer in the 1990's for violating governmental standards and regulations. The employer terminated the employment of the seven employees for the stated reason that each had given false information to the FDA. The employees sued the employer and the trial court granted the employer's motion to dismiss the breach of contract, promissory estoppel, and fraud claims. The appeals court affirmed the order. On appeal, the court found that the parties were under an at-will employment arrangement; thus the employer was free to terminate the employees with or without cause. Although the employees argued that their at-will employment relationship was amended orally by their employer's promise not to fire them as a result of their cooperation with the FDA, numerous Georgia cases held that oral promises were not enforceable by at-will ...