Piney Woods Lumber Company

50 Reavis Dr.
Mount Reavis, WI 54806
(800) 213-3333

MEMO
Date:

July 14, 2016

To:

Dr. Swanson

From:

Jessica A. Parrilla
Dispute Mediator
Human Resources
Piney Woods Building, Office 523
(630) 624 0110
jessicaparrilla@csu.fullerton.edu

Subject:

Mr. Martinez Lawsuit Information

The purpose of this memo is to inform you about the grounds upon which Mr. Martinez filed the
lawsuit against Piney Woods Lumber Company, Mr. Haskins and Mr. Burruss. I strongly believe
that this was due to a misunderstanding by both parties. A clearer, more detailed agreement could
have been laid out in order to avoid litigation. However, I dont believe that Mr. Martinez had
just cause to sue.
I believe that Mr. Martinez filed a lawsuit on grounds of invasion of privacy. The four torts of
privacy generalize that privacy can legally be invaded through intrusion, appropriation,
publication of private details, and portraying someone in a false light. Burruss,
Because of the information used in the story, Mr. Martinez suffered an injury
to his reputation. Although this was grounds for libel since the story
identified Mr. Martinez, hurt his reputation, it was publicized, it was not,
however, inaccurate.
Despite all the privacy violations Pine Woods Lumber Company did through writing the story on
Mr. Martinez, I do not believe that he had just cause to sue the company and their officers. The
information was accurate and he signed a written permission for Burruss to use it. I believe that
Mr. Martinez was only considering the short-term effects of his decision over the long-term
consequences, which ultimately caused himself pain and damage.
To practice precaution, Burruss could have left Mr. Martinezs name out of the story and kept it
anonymous. This would preserve Mr. Martinezs reputation among his colleagues and saved him
the damage. Burrus could have also left out information about Mr. Martinezs divorce,
manslaughter conviction and DUI. Or explain it in vaguer, ambiguous terms such as saying that
he experienced, challenging hardships or he was at an all-time low.

In accordance with John Mills philosophy, Piney Woods Lumber Company could defend
themselves by expressing that the means justified the ends. Thanks to Mr. Martinezs story, a
majority of his colleagues quit alcohol.
I personally believe that Burruss and Haskins should still be liable as individuals to a certain
extent. During the interview, Mr. Martinez expressed his embarrassment for his past. There are a
number of things Burruss could have done to help preserve Mr. Martinezs ego such as excluding
his name out of the story. This would help preserve his privacy. Just because this was the legal
thing to do, it does not necessarily mean that it was ethical.
If I was the public relations specialist for Piney Woods Lumber Company and I acted as Burruss
did, my conscious would not let me rest about publicizing Mr. Martinezs past knowing that he
felt ashamed about it. Personally, I would have stuck to the essential information and used a
different name so that I can preserve Mr. Martinezs reputation and ego, while causing a positive
change through my story. Ethically, I would work together with Mr. Martinez on every aspect of
the story so that he feels completely comfortable publicizing the information. Next, I would
arrange a written legal permission for Mr. Martinez specifying the details he agreed upon
publicizing and our collaboration. We would both sign it in front of a lawyer to stand as witness
in case Mr. Martinez went back on his word or lied.
In conclusion, a misjudgment on both parties caused a negative, legal consequence
that could have been avoided. Although Mr. Martinez was ashamed about his
alcoholic past, he still gave Burruss permission to use his story for the company
newspaper without being cautious of the consequences. This gives Mr. Martinez no
reason to sue the company. However, Burrus and Haskins should still be held
accountable personally because they knew that Mr. Martinez was embarrassed by
his past. Many different solutions could have been done to avoid this litigation, yet,
it still wasnt handled with care.
Thank you for your time.