Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-88-02347/USCOURTS-ca10-88-02347-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Charles Arthur
Appellant
Paul D. Bennett
Appellant
Kenneth L. Bohannon
Appellant
Henry A. Dykhius
Not Party
Jacob Gasper
Appellant
Thomas Gipson
Not Party
Joseph Hertrich
Not Party
Phillip R. Irwin
Not Party
United Airlines, Inc.
Appellee

Document Text:

FILED 

United States Court of Appeals 

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Tenth Cirruit 

TENTH CIRCUIT 

CHARLES ARTHUR, KENNETH L. BOHANNON, ) 

PAUL D. BENNETT, and PHILLIP R. IRWIN,) 

Plaintiffs, 

and 

JACOB GASPER, 

Plaintiff-Appellant, 

v. 

JOSEPH HERTRICH, HENRY A. DYKHIUS, 

and THOMAS GIPSON, 

Defendants, 

and 

UNITED AIRLINES, INC., 

Defendant-Appellee. 

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ORDER AND JUDGMENT* 

U£C 21 1990 

.ROBERT L. HOECKER 

Clerk 

No. 88-2347 

(D. Ct. No. 85-Z-1835) 

(D. Colo.) 

Before SEYMOUR, BARRETT, and MOORE, Circuit Judges. 

Petitioner Jacob Gasper appeals the district court's grant of 

summary judgment as to one of his contract claims against 

defendant United Air Lines, as well as the court's grant of a 

*This order and judgment has no precedential value and shall not 

be cited, or used by any court within the Tenth Circuit, except 

for purposes of establishing the doctrines of the law of the case, 

res judicata, or collateral estoppel. 10th Cir. R. 36.3. 

Appellate Case: 88-2347 Document: 010110097302 Date Filed: 12/21/1990 Page: 1 
_,./ . .... 

directed verdict for defendant as to two other contract claims. 

Additionally, Mr. Gasper appeals the district court's limitation 

of damages under his military leave statute claims. We affirm. 

Mr. Gasper contends the district court erred by directing a 

verdict for United Airlines on the ground that Mr. Gasper's 

employment contract was terminable at will. Mr. Gasper argues to 

the contrary, contending the United Airlines employee manual 

provisions entitled him to certain pre-termination procedures. 

The district court held, and Mr. Gasper does not refute on appeal, 

that Mr. Gasper was a management employee. As such, he was not 

entitled to the detailed disciplinary procedures afforded nonmanagement employees. Thus, we agree with the district court that 

Mr. Gasper was terminable at will. Because under Colorado law a 

covenant of good faith and fair dealing will not be implied in a 

contract for at-will employment, Farmer v. Central Bancorporation, 

Inc., 761 P.2d 220, 221-22 (Colo. App. 1988), the district court's 

grant of summary judgment on this issue also was proper. 

Mr. Gasper claims he is entitled to recover damages for 

emotional distress, as well as for severance pay lost from a 

previous employer under 38 U.S.C. § 2021 (1988) and Colo. Rev. 

Stat.§ 28-3-611 (1989). 38 U.S.C. § 2021 states that a military 

reservist is entitled to the "wages or benefits" lost due to her 

or his employer's violation of the statute. See 38 u.s.c. § 2022 

(1988). Consequently, we agree with the district court that 

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Appellate Case: 88-2347 Document: 010110097302 Date Filed: 12/21/1990 Page: 2 
neither damages for emotional distress nor lost severance pay from 

another job are available to Mr. Gasper. Cf. Randall v. Giant 

Food Markets, Inc., 390 F. Supp. 1064, 1066 (E.D. Tenn. 1974) 

(damages for emotional distress unavailable under language of 

Selective Service Act of 1967 awarding lost "wages or benefits" to 

reservists). Col. Rev. Stat.§ 28-3-611 states that a reservist 

may bring an action for "damages" if Colorado's military leave 

statutes are violated. Absent an indication to the contrary, it 

is reasonable to assume the Colorado courts would construe the 

damages available under their state counterpart to the federal 

military reserve statute to be similar to those contemplated by 

the federal statute. 

Accordingly, the decision of the district court is AFFIRMED. 

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Entered for the Court 

Stephanie K. Seymour 

Circuit Judge 

Appellate Case: 88-2347 Document: 010110097302 Date Filed: 12/21/1990 Page: 3