Opinion ID: 1190434
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: retroactive application of berube

Text: The Bank argues that this court should not apply the law as stated in our case of Berube v. Fashion Centre, Ltd . [2] to the present case, because Heslop's cause of action arose prior to our decision in Berube. The Bank argues that Berube significantly changed the law in Utah with regard to employment at-will and that the Bank relied on prior law. Because Heslop's termination occurred prior to the Berube decision, the Bank continues, the decision should apply prospectively only and not to his claims. While we have never squarely addressed the appropriateness of applying Berube retrospectively, we have repeatedly allowed its retrospective application in practice. [3] In the vast majority of cases, the stated law of a decision is effective both prospectively and retrospectively, even a decision which overrules prior law. [4] Therefore, unless a substantial injustice would occur from retrospective application, we will apply a decision both prospectively and retrospectively. [5] An examination of Berube leads us to conclude that retroactive application of that decision will not work a substantial injustice on employers. Berube carved out an exception to the traditional employment-at-will doctrine. It did not overrule employment at will. Under Berube, an employer may create an impied-in-fact contract for employment that is not a contract at-will. An employer does this by making representations or promises that employees reasonably understand to constitute something other than employment at-will. Berube, which makes representations or promises of employment other than at-will legally enforceable, affects only those employers who make or imply such promises to their employees. Berube works no substantial injustice by requiring employers who expressly or impliedly promise employment for other than at-will to stand by that promise. Therefore, the trial court correctly ruled that Berube applied to Heslop's claims.