Reference no: EM133314411

Mr. Morris Fact Pattern.

Morris was the Vice Principal at Bayside High prior to his termination. Morris was working late one night when he noticed Ms. Spano was working late in her office. Spano was the girls' P.E. teacher and also served as coach for the girls' volleyball team. When Morris peered into her office, he could see she was drinking directly from a large bottle of whiskey.

Morris waited for her to leave and then searched the entirety of her office. He found several empty bottles of alcohol in her office. He also searched through her purse and wallet, which she had left behind in a locked drawer (he found the key under a bust of Shakespeare she kept on her desk).

Additionally, Spano had left a personal laptop on her desk. Morris correctly guessed the password was "Shakespeare", and he proceeded to search the files, her personal photographs, and the contents of her personal g-mail account.

Later that week Morris conducted a review of Spano's expense reimbursement requests from a recent trip Spano had taken out-of-town for the girls' volleyball regional competition. Spano transported the girls in the school van for the three-day trip. Morris noted that she had submitted several un-itemized receipts. When he looked closely at them, he realized for the first time that the times listed on the receipts were late in the evening. When he called the establishments he learned they were all bars. Apparently, Spano had been staying out late and drinking while on the school-sanctioned trip. One of the evenings was the night before she had to get up very early to transport the girls back home. Not only was this a violation of school policy, but Morris considered it a serious safety concern.

Morris knew he had to report this to Belding, but was worried because he suspected that Belding and Spano were in a romantic relationship (in fact, Spano had reported to Morris that Belding had sexually harassed her).

Morris reported the findings of his investigation to Belding, but only told Belding about the liquor bottles, the drinking on campus, and the drinking while on a school trip. He did not tell Belding about the searches he made into Spano's computer, purse, or wallet, but he did provide certain incriminating information he gathered from these searches (pictures of Spano drinking with students, additional receipts for large purchases of alcohol, etc.).

After reporting the matter to Belding, Morris started told several faculty members not only was Spano a drunk, but that he found illegal drugs in her office and that she was drug dealer on the side (both allegations were untrue). These faculty members shared this information with employees at other schools in the area which would later jeopardize Spano's ability to get a job.

Morris was terminated two days later by Belding and was given no reason for the firing. Morris suspected it was because of Belding's relationship with Spano.

QUESTION: Does Morris have a cause of action against Belding and/or Bayside?

This question calls for identifying the potential causes of action, the elements of any causes of action, and the facts supporting each element.