Byline: Jody Murray THE FRESNO BEE

Michael Smyth was clearly peeved when he fired off an e-mail about his bosses stating he wanted to "kill the backstabbing bastards," then describing an upcoming company party as the "Jim Jones Kool-Aid affair." Soon, he was more than angry -- he was unemployed.

Smyth sued the company -- food giant Pillsbury -- saying his right to free speech had been trounced. A Pennsylvania court disagreed, saying he shouldn't have assumed e-mail messages sent on the company's system were private, even though the company told him they would be.

The 1994 case became part of a framework of rules and rulings that try to determine where an ...