A 2nd District Court judge has ruled that the University of Idaho was right in altering the early retirement benefits of over 200 retirees.
A lawsuit was brought by a group of 268 retirees against the UI claiming the university violated early retirement agreements signed in 1999 and 2002, reneging on a deal not to make them pay health insurance premiums.
In his summary judgment, Judge John Stegner ruled that the retirement agreements entered into by the plaintiffs followed the school’s Faculty-Staff handbook, which reserves the right of the State Board of Education and the UI to change benefits. Stegner also found that the university did not violate the covenant of good faith and fair dealing implied in all employee agreements.
The retirees could ask Stegner to reconsider his ruling, and if he doesn’t, the case could be appealed to the Idaho Supreme Court.
