Berube v. Fashion Centre Ltd

In Berube v. Fashion Centre Ltd., 771 P.2d 1033, 1043 (Utah 1989), the Court stated: "We will construe public policies narrowly and will generally utilize those based on prior legislative pronouncements or judicial decisions, applying only those principles which are so substantial and fundamental that there can be virtually no question as to their importance for the promotion of public good." Id. In Berube the Court adopted for the first time a public policy exception to the at-will employment rule. The Court expressed caution about the limits of the exception and therefore identified possible sources of public policy that were unquestionably legitimate. Berube, however, was not intended to create an exclusive list of all possible sources as the language above reflects. Rather, it was an attempt to ensure that this court deferred to legitimate sources of public policy in the broader community instead of having a free rein to "invent" public policy on its own.