Opinion ID: 203801
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Count III: Wrongful Termination in Violation of Public Policy

Text: We agree with the district court's dismissal of Appellant's common law claim for discharge in violation of public policy. Appellant alleges that the district court improperly entered summary judgment on Count III since the record shows that he was subjected to a sustained campaign of harassment and retaliation from October 2002 until his resignation on November 24, 2003. Appellant further alleges that although he requested to return to work at FedEx, his amenability was predicated upon a future change in management. Moreover, Meuser avers that his resignation was submitted with the assumption that he was eligible for re-hire. Massachusetts courts recognize an exception to the general at-will employment rule `when employment is terminated contrary to a well-defined public policy.' Day v. Staples, Inc., 555 F.3d 42, 59 (1st Cir.2009)(quoting Wright v. Shriners Hosp. for Crippled Children, 412 Mass. 469, 589 N.E.2d 1241, 1244 (1992)); see also GTE Products Corp. v. Stewart, 421 Mass. 22, 653 N.E.2d 161, 168-69 (1995). For example: Redress is available for employees who are terminated for asserting a legally guaranteed right (e.g., filing workers' compensation claim), for doing what the law requires (e.g., serving on a jury), or for refusing to do that which the law forbids (e.g., committing perjury). Hinchey v. NYNEX Corp., 144 F.3d 134, 145 (1st Cir.1998)(citing Smith-Pfeffer v. Superintendent of the Walter E. Fernald State Sch., 404 Mass. 145, 533 N.E.2d 1368, 1371 (1989)). Nevertheless, [t]his public policy exception is construed narrowly. Day, 555 F.3d at 59 (citing King v. Driscoll, 418 Mass. 576, 638 N.E.2d 488, 492 (1994)). [T]o do otherwise would `convert the general rule ... into a rule that requires just cause to terminate an at  will employee.' King, 638 N.E.2d at 492 (quoting Smith-Pfeffer, 533 N.E.2d at 1371). As aforementioned, Appellant contends that he was constructively discharged due to a sustained campaign of harassment and retaliation from October 2002 until his resignation on November 24, 2003. Nevertheless, it has been well established in this Circuit that [t]o prove constructive discharge, a plaintiff must usually show that [his] working conditions were so difficult or unpleasant that a reasonable person in [his] shoes would have felt compelled to resign. It is not enough that the plaintiff suffered the ordinary slings and arrows that workers routinely encounter in a hard, cold world. In order to establish constructive discharge, [Plaintiff] must show that conditions were so intolerable that they rendered a seemingly voluntary resignation a termination. In such cases, [t]he question is not whether working conditions at the facility were difficult or unpleasant, but rather, an employee must show that, at the time of his resignation, his employer did not allow him the opportunity to make a free choice regarding his employment relationship. Thus, in order for a resignation to constitute a constructive discharge, it effectively must be void of choice or free will. Torrech-Hernandez, 519 F.3d at 50 (internal citations and quotations omitted) (quoting De La Vega v. San Juan Star, Inc., 377 F.3d 111, 117 (1st Cir.2004); see also GTE Products Corp., 653 N.E.2d at 168-69 (`[T]he trier of fact must be satisfied that the new working conditions would have been so difficult or unpleasant that a reasonable person in the employee's shoes would have felt compelled to resign.' The test is met if, based on an objective assessment of the conditions under which the employee has asserted he was expected to work, it could be found they were so difficult as to be intolerable. (quoting Alicea Rosado v. Garcia Santiago, 562 F.2d 114, 119 (1st Cir.1977))); Vega v. Kodak Caribbean, Ltd., 3 F.3d 476, 481 (1st Cir.1993); Aviles-Martinez v. Monroig, 963 F.2d 2, 6 (1st Cir.1992); Pena v. Brattleboro Retreat, 702 F.2d 322, 325 (2d Cir.1983)). We briefly explain our analysis as to why Plaintiff's allegations regarding his FedEx working conditions do not rise to the level of intolerableness which would compel a reasonable person in his position to resign. Plaintiff was in fact able to file his two OSHA related complaints and he did not have any further related OSHA complaints. Meuser admits that he applied and was granted leave pursuant to the FMLA. Therefore, the fact that one day of his FMLA leave was erroneously counted in a non-disciplinary letter, recognized by the employer as an error, was not `so difficult or unpleasant that a reasonable person in [his] shoes would have felt compelled to resign.' GTE Products Corp., 653 N.E.2d at 168-69 (quoting Alicea Rosado v. Garcia Santiago, 562 F.2d 114, 119 (1st Cir.1977)). The dusty truck incident resulted in a documented counseling without any suspension; it was not unreasonable for the employer to opine that he used the dusty truck to camouflage a failure in his services (leaving a package behind). The DADS usage by Meuser to send an offensive message to a female courier co-worker, regarding an issue that occurred a year earlier, resulted in a documented counseling for using an employment related communication instrument that could not be used for that purpose. Furthermore, Meuser admitted that he had a grudge against the female worker and that he lost his cool. Hence, Meuser could not be affected to the point of intolerable work environment. Moreover, the tuition reimbursement was in fact a fringe benefit which was alerted to him by management, Mr. Langone, during a routine check ride. Meuser had not stated in the request that the reimbursement was for a graduate course. He modified the request and the reimbursement was granted after the company verified that economics was related to his employment. Even if there was fault in initially denying the reimbursement, it is not a matter compelling resignation. The change of Meuser's route, and of all the other couriers', was a business decision determined in November 2002, prior to other work-related incidents, and implemented after he returned from FMLA leave, during April 2003. Meuser alleged that the order was a reprisal for Meuser requesting the MSDS sheets in January 17, 2003, while he was delivering packages. Nevertheless, it is uncontested on the record that the decision to change the routes as to all the couriers was made on November 2002 and postponed for a later date at the request of the couriers. The alleged check ride reprisal resulted in no disciplinary action whatsoever, it constituted a valid traditional manner to check courier performance, and resulted in a positive evaluation for Meuser. Hence, Meuser cannot seriously allege that the check ride was so unpleasant to the point of compelling him to resign. Finally, the most significant disciplinary action, wherein Meuser was suspended, was caused by Meuser's own conduct. Appellant recruited and involved FedEx customers relating to the disciplinary action taken by FedEx against Meuser due to the incident with Mrs. Robertson, a FedEx client. The customers were recruited by Meuser in an effort to persuade FedEx to rescind the disciplinary action of changing his route. The communication of Meuser with FedEx customers was thus not authorized and further revealed inside information to clients. After a thorough review of the record, we are in agreement with the district court's finding that [n]othing in the record of this case would justify a jury in reasonably concluding that Plaintiff's working conditions reached anything approaching the level of [intolerableness] required to provide a basis for a claim of wrongful discharge. Meuser, 524 F.Supp.2d at 149. Furthermore, we find that the fact that Meuser attempted to rescind his resignation, after he learned that he was not eligible for positive rehire status as he originally thought, is clear evidence that Meuser's working conditions were not so difficult or unpleasant that a reasonable person in [his] shoes would have felt compelled to resign,' GTE Products Corp., 653 N.E.2d at 169 (quoting Alicea Rosado, 562 F.2d at 119), and that he had the opportunity to make a free choice regarding his employment relationship. Torrech-Hernandez, 519 F.3d at 50. In other words, his resignation was not effectively ... void of choice or free will. Id.