The plaintiffs, Joseph Laramie and Timothy Hallam, brought separate actions against the above-captioned defendants, their employer, the New Hampshire Department of Corrections (DOC), their supervisor, Bruce Cattell, and co-workers Shawn Stone and Todd Connor. The cases were consolidated for pretrial purposes on August 14, 2006, since plaintiffs’ writs set forth virtually identical claims against the same defendants. In Count I of their writs, plaintiffs assert a claim against DOC for wrongful termination of their employment.