A former police officer linked to the attack on Abner Louima failed to show that Con Edison illegally fired him for his perjury conviction rather than his notoriety, a judge ruled this week.

Charles Schwarz did not convince Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Carol Robinson Edmead that the utility breached state law when it hired him—knowing of the conviction—but fired him within a month, allegedly citing potential damage to the company’s reputation if he remained an employee.