One Saturday in July 2000, Sophia Apessos called the Plymouth, Mass., police to report that her husband had beaten her. The police arrested him and helped Sophia obtain a temporary protective order. On Monday, Sophia appeared in court to request an extension of the order and testify at her husband’s arraignment. She went to the police station to have photographs taken of her bruised face and returned home to change her locks.
Sophia, a local newspaper reporter, left a voice mail for her supervisor about her Monday court appearances. On Monday, she told the supervisor she needed to meet the locksmith and would be back to work Tuesday. But when she reported to work, the human resources director of Memorial Press Group terminated her. Sophia sued for wrongful termination in violation of public policy, and the Massachusetts Superior Court upheld her claim in September 2002.
