Dentons Lee Secures Decisive Win in Teacher Appeal Case – Protecting 18 Years of Service and Restoring Legal Stability

Dentons Lee has secured a decisive victory in an appeal before the Appeals Commission for Educators (ACE), successfully overturning a private school’s attempt to invalidate a faculty member’s appointment nearly two decades after the appointment was made. ACE ruled for the petitioner by canceling the school’s “appointment nullification” notice and dismissing the related ex officio dismissal decision, delivering complete relief that restores both status and legal stability.

The matter was handled by Myoung-Ho Song, Attorney at Dentons Lee, who noted that the decision reaffirmed that measures depriving someone of their current status and livelihood based on matters already barred by disciplinary time limits are difficult to justify, and that dispositions skipping legally required procedures cannot be legitimized. Song explained that this ruling is significant in clarifying standards of legal stability and procedural fairness in personnel and disciplinary matters within private schools.

In its decision, ACE emphasized that a person’s present livelihood should not be undone by reviving allegations from many years earlier—particularly where the relevant limitation period has long expired—and that mandatory procedural safeguards cannot be bypassed by labels or formalities. Crucially, once the “appointment nullification” notice was canceled, ACE also dismissed the follow-on ex officio dismissal decision, confirming that where the foundation is unlawful, subsequent measures built upon it cannot stand.

This victory is regarded as a landmark case confirming that the core principles of limitation periods, due process, and protection of trust must be effectively applied against repeated arbitrary attempts to expel teachers in the private school sector. Dentons Lee will continue providing solutions that substantively protect clients’ rights through principle-based, meticulous legal reasoning and strategic advocacy.