Opinion ID: 514825
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Mutually Explicit Understanding Implied From Supervisor's Assurances

Text: 20 Ms. Osterman's alleged statement to Ms. Lee is certainly not the sort of statement that creates a cognizable property interest. A first-line manager's statement that she does not intend to terminate an employee whose performance remains satisfactory cannot be construed reasonably as a grant of tenure. Ms. Osterman's statement that Ms. Lee's job was secure and would continue as long as she kept up the good work does not constitute an implied contract or mutually explicit understanding such as that contemplated by Perry or Roth. 21 Moreover, we see no reason to disturb the district court's determination that a first-line manager like Ms. Osterman clearly lacked the authority to bind the state. Therefore, her statements can hardly be construed as a mutually explicit understanding of job tenure. See Shlay v. Montgomery, 802 F.2d 918 (7th Cir.1986). In Shlay, this court insisted that the statements upon which the claim of a mutually explicit understanding is based must be made by a supervisor vested with proper authority. Id. at 921. Any other promises are unenforceable since it is well-established that a city is generally not legally responsible for acts taken by its officers in excess of their authority. Id. See also Common, at 471-72 (holding that informal assurances in contravention of state law do not create protectible property interests); Hadley v. County of Du Page, 715 F.2d 1238, 1242 (7th Cir.1983) (unofficial assurances of job security by individual county board members did not create a property interest as only formal board action was authoritative), cert. denied, 465 U.S. 1006, 104 S.Ct. 1000, 79 L.Ed.2d 232 (1984); McElearney v. University of Illinois, 612 F.2d 285, 290 (7th Cir.1979) (informal assurances by supervisors did not estop university from denying tenure to assistant professor). 22 We therefore affirm the district court's holding that Ms. Osterman's lack of policy-making authority prevented Ms. Lee from properly alleging a mutually explicit understanding protectible by the due process clause. III