A 2nd District Court judge has upheld his ruling that the University of Idaho was right in altering the early retirement benefits of over 200 retirees.
In his written ruling, Judge John Stegner said the burden was on the retirees to bring forward any new evidence that might influence the court – no such evidence was presented in the ruling.
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 previous summary judgment, 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.
Since Stegner did not reconsider his ruling, the case is likely to be appealed to the Idaho Supreme Court.
