Owen is an employee of Paving Inc., which is performing a contract for the federal government. Owen learns that Paving is overcharging for the work. If he publicly reports the fraud, the law may protect him from being fired from his job. With respect to the employment-at-will doctrine, this is .A. an example of the doctrine.
B. an exception based on contract theory.
C. an exception based on public policy.
D. an exception based on a statute.

The answer to this question is Option C. an exception based on public policy.

Explanation:

An employment at will is a doctrine that  means that an employee can leave a job whenever they want for any reason, and employers can terminate an employee for any reason without notice or cause. The intent of the at will employment doctrine is to prevent wrongful termination and employment lawsuits between employees and employers.

In the scenario cited above, Owen is protected by an exception based on public policy. This exception comes into play in situations  anti-discrimination employment laws. You can’t fire someone because of their gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, disability status, or other legal characteristics