State employment law at issue in case

The Tennessee Supreme Court’s decision last week to hear the case of a University of Tennessee-Chattanooga professor who sued the school under the state whistle-blower act could have broad implications for state employment law.
State law forbids employers from firing whistle-blowers for speaking out against illegal activity. The Tennessee Supreme Court may now decide whether the law applies to employees who have been demoted.
The Supreme Court agreed to take the case of William Harman, a professor at UT-Chattanooga who sued the school claiming he lost his job as a department head because he voiced concerns about another professor.
Harman still teaches at the school but wants to return as head of the department of philosophy and religion.