Opinion ID: 202865
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Verdict in Favor of Vice Mayor Puig

Text: Rodriguez-Garcia also urges us to overturn the verdict in favor of Vice Mayor Puig, arguing that the jury could not have made a credibility determination in favor of Vice Mayor Puig given the weight of the evidence suggesting that Rodriguez-Garcia had consistently opposed her transfer. We disagree. The question of Vice Mayor Puig's liability turned largely on whether the jury credited Vice Mayor Puig's or Rodriguez-Garcia's testimony concerning the conversations that allegedly took place between them. Indeed, Rodriguez-Garcia's closing argument featured a series of rhetorical questions, asking: Who do you believe? You heard Carmen, but no, the Vice Mayor tells us that on February 18th Carmen Rodriguez requested a transfer to Federal Funds. Who hears him? Who remembers? . . . Who do you believe? . . . Shall we believe Wilfredo Puig, who very conveniently remembers that Carmen requested to go to Federal Funds . . . Should we believe Wilfredo Puig, that conveniently understood that Carmen had no hospitalizations after getting to Federal Funds? . . . Who will we believe? Wilfredo Puig, who again, understood that he could testify as to assigned personnel action, that he later stipulated that did not exist, and that he later admitted that he had never seen. Who do we believe? What happened on February 18th, what? Assessing witness credibility is within the unique province of the jury. United States v. Thomas, 467 F.3d 49, 55 (1st Cir.2006). We will not disturb its verdict in favor of Vice Mayor Puig.