Phase 3 of 3 · Hard Conversations
Sabine Pilot public policy exception
Texas recognizes a narrow wrongful discharge claim when an employee is fired solely for refusing to perform an act carrying criminal penalties.
Sole reason, refusal, and criminal act are the three facts that define the claim.
In plain English
An employer cannot rely on the at will rule when the only reason for firing someone is that the person refused to commit a crime.
- What it looks like in business
- A worker declines an instruction to falsify a legally required record and is terminated for that refusal alone.
- Why it matters
- The exception is narrow, so HR should document the instruction, the employee response, the criminal law involved, and every stated termination reason.
Reading it once is not the same as knowing it. Put this term in the daily rotation and let the quiz come back for it.
Study this termWhere this comes from
Sabine Pilot Service, Inc. v. Hauck, 687 S.W.2d 733 (Tex. 1985)
This is HR guidance, not legal advice, and rules change. Check the current text and your own facts before you act on it. When a situation needs a lawyer, Jennifer will say so.
Where it sits
Phase 3: Hard Conversations
A fair process for performance, complaints, accommodations, and exits so the owner is not both the boss and the only adult in the room.