Watson V. Air Methods Corp., 834 F.3D 891 (8Th Cir
United States Court of Appeals For the Eighth Circuit ___________________________ No. 15-1900 ___________________________ John A. Watson, V, lllllllllllllllllllll Plaintiff - Appellant, v. Air Methods Corporation, lllllllllllllllllllll Defendant - Appellee. ____________ Appeal from United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri - St. Louis ____________ Submitted: January 10, 2017 Filed: August 31, 2017 ____________ Before RILEY, Chief Judge,1 WOLLMAN, LOKEN, MELLOY, SMITH, COLLOTON, GRUENDER, BENTON, SHEPHERD, and KELLY, Circuit Judges, En Banc. ____________ 1The Honorable William Jay Riley stepped down as Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit at the close of business on March 10, 2017. He has been succeeded by the Honorable Lavenski R. Smith. Appellate Case: 15-1900 Page: 1 Date Filed: 08/31/2017 Entry ID: 4574514 COLLOTON, Circuit Judge. John Watson sued his former employer, Air Methods Corporation, in Missouri state court, alleging a common-law claim for wrongful discharge in violation of public policy. Watson alleged that he was a “whistleblower” who disclosed safety violations at the company, and that Air Methods retaliated against him by terminating his employment. Air Methods removed the case to federal court and then moved to dismiss based on the pre-emption provision of the Airline Deregulation Act (“ADA”), 49 U.S.C. § 41713(b)(1). The district court, relying on our decision in Botz v. Omni Air International, 286 F.3d 488 (8th Cir. 2002), dismissed the complaint, and Watson appeals. We now hold that the ADA does not expressly pre-empt Watson’s state-law wrongful-discharge claims involving post hoc reporting of alleged violations of air- safety regulations.
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