WPC 1# UN % 0cU<w@4 {(' 0@O 0J 0T 0^- 0h 0r 0|e 0 0g 1u 0dl AQ ! 0D 0D+ 0Do U> D/ B B= D3Z B) DC AM U*F Tp v~vBHP LaserJet 4SiHPPCL5MS,,,,,,0nLh(hH  Z 6Times New Roman RegularX(;cW$XaBXXX-Bu Z$Arrus BT Roman [UEUU !Ӏ+_#`ZZ3|x+($("$    2 0Indent123  2" 0Indent20 23  2, 0Indent30 0 23  26 0Indent40 0 0 23  2@ 0Indent50 0 0 0 23  2J 0Indent60 0 0 0 0 23  2T 0Indent70 0 0 0 0 0 23  2^ 0Indent80 0 0 0 0 0 0 23   ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)P 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X!" $&C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5(3$ !  (#$  0  ($$   1  <  9p`(&Times New Roman((' dxd dP Pd'''''dxd% Line 7 d****7Border 1dd! +C << G<  9p`(Arial J !  #d#%      ""  --   YYY FILED-XApril8,1998CecilW.CrowsonAppellateCourtClerk  PtPtHH(EG(HH(d'`Styl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   ion-F Geneva  ion-F Geneva ! . %      \RA'\7XXdd7    @ INTHECOURTOFAPPEALSOFTENNESSEE@ WESTERNSECTIONATNASHVILLE  ______________________________________________ THEOAKRIDGEBOYS,INC.,  PlaintiffAppellant,       SumnerChanceryNo.96C212Vs.       C.A.No.01A019708CH00401 STEVEH.SANDERS,ETAL, !R,.+A1-j|` . `@R DefendantAppellee.____________________________________________________________________________@ FROMTHESUMNERCOUNTYCHANCERYCOURT@ THEHONORABLETOME.GRAY,JUDGE@ JohnR.Phillips,Jr.,TimothyR.Rector@ Phillips&IngrumofGallatin@ ForAppellant@ JohnKnoxWalkup,AttorneyGeneralandReporter@ RonaldW.McNutt,AssistantAttorneyGeneralofNashville@ ForAppellee@ AFFIRMED @ Opinionfiled:        W.FRANKCRAWFORD,        PRESIDINGJUDGE,W.S.CONCUR:ALANE.HIGHERS,JUDGEDAVIDR.FARMER,JUDGE E8T ԛ Thisisanunemploymentcompensationcase.Plaintiff,TheOakRidgeBoys,Inc.,appealstheorderofthetrialcourtwhichaffirmedthedecisionoftheBoardofReviewoftheTennesseeDepartmentofEmploymentSecuritytoawardbenefitstoSteveSanders. Theclaimant,SteveSanders,wasemployedasasingerwiththeOakRidgeBoys,Inc.fromApril1987toNovember1995.Foranumberofyearstherehadbeenadversepublicitysurroundinga feudinvolvingMr.Sanders,hisexwife,andhiscurrentwife.NewspaperschronicleddisputesoverMr.Sandersfailuretopaycourtorderedchildsupport,hissubsequentjailsentence,and amyriadofotherdisputeswithhisexwife.Othermembersofthesinginggroupexpressedconcernoverthenegativepublicityanditseffectonthegroup.AtanOctober1995meetingthegrouptoldMr.Sandersthathehadtogetcontrolovertheincreasingpublicityproblem,andthatifitdidnotstophewouldhavetobereplaced.Anothermeetingwashadonthissubjectseveraldayslaterwhileonatourbusduringashortconcerttour.Mr.Sandersclaimsthatatthismeetinghe agreedtobefiredtosparethegroupfurtherembarrassment,butthathewouldfinishtheyearendconcerttourbeforeleavingthegroup.Thegroupagreedthattheirdiscussions wouldnotleavethebus.However,wordofhis resignationleakedouttomembersoftheroadcrewwhileonatourofTexas.Disturbedbytherumorsandthebreachoftheconfidentialityagreement,Mr.SandersleftthegroupinNovember1995duringthemiddleoftheconcerttour. Mr.SanderssapplicationforunemploymentcompensationwasopposedbythegroupwhichassertedthatMr.SanderswasineligibleforunemploymentcompensationbenefitsbecausehequitofhisownvolitionwithoutgoodcauseconnectedwithhisworkinviolationofT.C.A.507303(a)(1)andthattheactofleavingthegroupinthemiddleofaconcerttourconstitutedworkrelatedmisconduct7XXdXXd7withinthemeaningofT.C.A.507303(a)(2). TheTennesseeDepartmentofEmploymentSecurity(TDES)approvedMr.Sanderssapplicationforbenefitsfindingthathe wasdischargedfrommostrecentemploymentwhenhewasforcedtoleaveinlieuofdischargebecauseofcircumstancesbeyondhiscontrol,andthat therecordfailstoestablishworkrelatedmisconductunderT.C.A.507303.ThisagencydecisionwasupheldbytheAppealsTribunal,theBoardofReview,andthetrialcourt. TheOakRidgeBoys,Inc.hasappealedthejudgmentofthechancerycourtassertingthatMr.Sanderslefthisemploymentvoluntarilywithoutgoodcause.TheappellanthasapparentlyabandoneditsalternativeargumentthatMr.Sanderswasdischargedforworkrelatedmisconduct,andinsteadsimplycontendsthatMr.Sanderswasneverdischarged.ThesoleissueforourreviewiswhetherthechancellorerredinaffirmingtheBoardofReviewsawardofunemploymentcompensationbenefits. ThestandardforjudicialreviewofaTDESBoardofReviewdecisionregardingunemploymentbenefitsissetforthinT.C.A.507304(i)whichprovidesinpertinentpart:Ӝ8 8 (2)Thechancellormayaffirmthedecisionoftheboardorthechancellormayreverse,remandormodifythedecisioniftherightsofthepetitionerhavebeenprejudicedbecausetheadministrativefindings,inferences,conclusionsordecisionsare:̜8 8  (A)Inviolationofconstitutionalorstatutory   provisions;̜8 8  (B)Inexcessofthestatutoryauthorityoftheagency;̜8 8  (C)Madeuponunlawfulprocedure;̜8 8  (D)Arbitraryorcapriciousorcharacterizedby   abuseofdiscretionorclearlyunwarrantedexerciseofdiscretion;or̜8 8  (E)Unsupportedbyevidencewhichisboth   substantialandmaterialinthelightoftheentire   record.̜8 8 (3)Indeterminingthesubstantialityofevidence,thechancellorshalltakeintoaccountwhateverintherecordfairlydetractsfromitsweight,butthechancellorshallnotsubstitutethechancellorsjudgmentforthatoftheboardofreviewastotheweightoftheevidenceonquestionsoffact.̛T.C.A.507304(i)(Supp.1997).ThisCourtmustapplythesamestandardasthetrialcourtinreviewingthetrialcourtsdecisioninanunemploymentcompensationcase. Fordv.Traughber, 813S.W.2d141,144(Tenn.App.1991).Therefore,inreviewingTDESsfindingsoffact,weareconstrainedtoadeterminationofwhetherthereissubstantialandmaterialevidencetosupportthefindings. Substantialandmaterialevidenceissuchrelevantevidenceasareasonablemindmightaccepttosupportarationalconclusionandsuchastofurnishareasonablysoundbasisfortheactionunderconsideration. SouthernRy.Co.V.StateBd.OfEqualization ,682S.W.2d196,199(Tenn.1984)(citationsandinternalquotationsomitted).Iftherecordcontainssuchevidence,wearelimitedtoareviewofthequestionsoflawpresented. Perrymanv.Bible ,653S.W.2d424,429(Tenn.App.1983). Anindividualisdisqualifiedfromreceivingunemploymentcompensationbenefitswheretheclaimant leftsuchclaimantsmostrecentworkvoluntarilywithoutgoodcauseconnectedwithsuchclaimantswork.T.C.A.507303(a)(1)(Supp.1997).In Froggev.Davenport, 906S.W.2d920,924(Tenn.App.1995),wenotedthattheterm goodcauseisnotdefinedinT.C.A.507303,butfoundthefollowingdiscussionfrom81C.J.S.SocialSecurityandPublicWelfare226(1977)tobehelpful:8 8 Ingeneral, goodcause,asusedinanunemploymentcompensationstatute,meanssuchacauseasjustifiesanemployeesvoluntarilyleavingtheranksoftheemployedandjoiningtheranksoftheunemployed;thequittingmustbeforsuchacauseaswouldreasonablymotivateinasimilarsituationtheaverageablebodiedandqualifiedworkertogiveuphisorheremploymentwithitscertainwagerewardsinordertoentertheranksofthecompensatedunemployed.Theterms goodcauseand personalreasonsconnote,asminimumrequirements,realcircumstances,substantialreasons,objectiveconditions,palpableforcesthatoperatetoproducecorrelativeresults;adequateexcusesthatwillbearthetestofreason;justgroundsforaction.Thetestisoneofordinarycommonsenseandprudence.8 8 8 8 Inordertoconstitutegoodcause,thecircumstanceswhichcompelthedecisiontoleaveemploymentmustbereal,notimaginary,substantialnottrifling,andreasonable,notwhimsical;theremustbesomecompulsionproducedbyextraneousandnecessitousorcompellingcircumstances.%  Intheinstantcase,attheOctober22,1995meeting,itwasagreedbySandersandtheemployerthatSanderswouldworkuntiltheendoftheyearandthenhisemploymentwouldbeterminatedbytheemployer.Itwasfurtheragreedthatthetermsoftheagreementwouldremainprivateandconfidential.However,onNovember4,1995,whileontour,itwasdiscoveredthatinformationleakedaboutSandersleavingthegroup,andatameetingonthatdatetheemployerthroughitsrepresentativesdeniedthepreviousagreement.ThemeetingreachedahighlyemotionalpitchtotheextentthatSandersfeltunabletoperformasanartist.Becauseofthesecircumstances,Sandersfeltcompelledtoleavethetourrecognizingthathehadnoabilitytocontroltheactionsofthirdpartiesoverwhichhehadnoauthority. Uponcarefulreviewoftherecord,wefindthatthereissubstantialandmaterialevidencetosupporttheBoardofReviewsfindingthatMr.Sanders wasdischargedfromhismostrecentemploymentandforcedtoresignbecausenegativepublicityabouthisdomesticaffairswasadversetothegroupsimage.Wenotethatthiswasnotthetypicalemployeremployeerelationship.ThemembersoftheOakRidgeBoysspentasubstantialportionoftheyeartraveling,performing,andlivingtogether.Toperformnightafternightinthattypeofenvironmentrequiresaspecialkindofcamaraderie.Undertheunusualfactsofthiscase,wecannotsaythatMr.Sandersvoluntarilyquitwithoutgoodcause.TheBoardproperlyexerciseditsdiscretioninaccordancewithlawanddidnotactarbitrarilyorcapriciously. ThejudgmentofthechancerycourtaffirmingtheBoardofReviewsdecisionisaffirmed.Costsoftheappealareassessedagainsttheappellant.       _________________________________       W.FRANKCRAWFORD,       PRESIDINGJUDGE,W.S. CONCUR:____________________________________ALANE.HIGHERS,JUDGE ____________________________________ DAVIDR.FARMER,JUDGE