By On behalf of The Law Offices of Roderick V. Hannah, Esq., P.A.
A former employee of the city of Boca Raton has reached a tentative settlement in connection with an employment law complaint. The worker, who had been the coordinator for the city’s utilities program, said she suffered wrongful termination after she expressed concern about water safety. The woman said she was fired because she was trying to protect the 128,000 customers who receive water from the city.
An eleventh-hour settlement appears to have been reached with the city’s insurance carrier. Details of the settlement have yet to be released to the public. Victims of employment discrimination and wrongful termination may choose to settle with those who have wronged them; this allows for compensation without the civil case ever reaching a courtroom.
Representatives for the city say that the case was never really about water safety. They allege that the woman fabricated many of her claims in order to bring a wrongful termination case. The woman had told others in the utility system that reclaimed water could have been making its way into the city’s drinking water.
Experts say that a Health Department case from 2012 supported some of her concerns. However, that case was settled without incident before an administrative hearing was held. Other city workers still contend that there was never any danger for the residents of Boca Raton.
No matter what the city utility leaders think, the woman should be compensated if she was wrongfully terminated from the position she held for more than two decades. The woman expressed some concern about the safety of the city’s water — and it appears that she lost her job as a result. No one should have to endure such wrongful termination simply because he or she sticks to their principles.
Source: Sun Sentinel, “Former Boca employee settles wrongful termination case” Anne Geggis, May. 20, 2014
