Ferris v. Polansky’s Empirical Analysis
1948
Citation profile
4 district · 25 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 31 later decisions — most recently March 2015 · most notably Towson University v. Conte (2004), 107 N.J. Super. 47 - Medivox Prod., Inc. v. Hoffmann-LaRoche, Inc. (1969)
4 district · 25 state decisions
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on Mackenzie v. Minis · Baltimore & Ohio Railroad v. Brydon ex rel. Davis · Lynn v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad · County Board of Education v. Cearfoss · Devoine Co. v. International Co.
Most-quoted passages
The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 31 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“"In a contract where the employer agrees to employ another as long as the services are satisfactory, the employer has the right to terminate the contract and discharge the employee, whenever he, the employer, acting in good faith is actually dissatisfied with the employee's work. This applies, even though the parties to the employment contract have stipulated that the contract shall be operative during a definite term, if it provides that the services are to be performed to the satisfaction of the employer. It is not necessary that there exist grounds deemed adequate by the trier of facts for the employer's dissatisfaction. He is the judge as to whether the services are satisfactory. However, this dissatisfaction, to justify the discharge of the employee, must be real and not pretended, capricious, mercenary, or the result of a dishonest design. If the employer feigns dissatisfaction and dismisses the employee, the discharge is wrongful. The employer in exercising the right of dismissal because of dissatisfaction must do so honestly and in good faith."”
8 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“"Under Maryland law, a contract which provides that performance of personal services must be satisfactory to the employer entitles the employer to terminate the contract if he is, in fact, honestly dissatisfied with the performance of the employee, and did not use such dissatisfaction as a mere pretense."”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majoritye.g. Somuah v. Flachs“`If Band proves unsatisfactory contract is subject to 2 weeks notice.'”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majoritye.g. Somuah v. Flachs
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.