Court Opinion

ID: 2964715
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-21 21:30:01.095852+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:11:55.291696
License: Public Domain

USCA1 Opinion

	

                                [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]

                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT

                                 ____________________

        No. 96-2224

                                   ALBERT ROSELLE,

                                Plaintiff, Appellant,

                                          v.

                   KEVIN J. FITZGERALD, FITZ-INN AUTO PARKS, INC.,
                             & BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT,

                                Defendants, Appellees.

                                 ____________________

                     APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

                          FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS

                   [Hon. Douglas P. Woodlock, U.S. District Judge]
                                              ___________________

                                 ____________________

                                        Before

                                Torruella, Chief Judge,
                                           ___________
                           Stahl and Lynch, Circuit Judges.
                                            ______________

                                 ____________________

            Damon Scarano on brief for appellant.
            _____________
            John  J. McArdle on  brief for  appellees Kevin  J. Fitzgerald and
            ________________
        Fitz-Inn Auto Parks, Inc.

                                 ____________________

                                     May 8, 1997
                                 ____________________

                      Per Curiam.  We have carefully reviewed the record,
                      __________

            the district  court  opinion and  the  parties' briefs.    We

            summarily affirm the district court judgment essentially  for

            the reasons stated in its Memorandum and Order dated December

            8, 1995. We add only the following comments.

                 Appellant argues that the  termination of his employment

            violated the  state policy  which presumes  an accused to  be

            innocent  until  proven guilty.   This  presumption, however,

            serves to focus a jury on what a prosecutor must establish so

            as to obtain a conviction in a criminal case. Commonwealth v.
                                                          ____________

            Boyd, 367 Mass. 169, 188, 326 N.E.2d 320, 332 (1975).  It has
            ____

            no applicability in the employment context and, consequently,

            does not warrant invocation of the public policy exception to

            the employment-at-will  rule. See Borschel v.  City of Perry,
                                          ___ ________     _____________

            512  N.W.2d  565, 568  (Iowa  1994)(presumption  of innocence

            "limited to criminal  procedures" and is not "a public policy

            applicable  in  the  employment  context");  Cisco  v. United
                                                         _____     ______

            Parcel  Services, Inc.,  328 Pa.  Super. 300, 476  A.2d 1340,
            ______________________

            1344 (1984) (presumption of innocence applies to trial and is

            not   "superimposed   into   an   accused's   remaining  life

            experiences");  cf.  King v.  Driscoll,  418  Mass. 576,  584
                            ___  ____     ________

            (1994)(statutory  right "must  relate  to or  arise from  the

            employee's status  as an  employee" to warrant  invocation of

            public policy exception).

                                         -2-

                 The district  court judgment dated December  11, 1995 is

            affirmed. See Loc. R. 27.1.
            ________  ___

                                         -3-