Tag Archives: retaliation

An Arizona developer has settled a lawsuit against Maricopa Country, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas for $1.4 million. Conley Wolfswinkel had filed suit after his office was publicly ransacked by Arpaio’s henchmen as part of a politically motivated and ultimately unfounded investigation against the Sheriff’s enemies. Corruption investigations that Arpaio and Thomas launched against their political foes in 2008 and 2009 have cost the county $4.2 million and counting in lawsuit settlements. Arpaio’s deputies raided Wolfswinkel’s …

Things can change fast at your job, but one thing hasn’t changed much over the years: employers’ use of “loss prevention” strategies to monitor, prevent, and punish internal theft and fraud. If your employer’s loss prevention department or rep comes knocking, there are some time-tested ways for employees to respond.   Not Your Friend “If you are called into a meeting with loss prevention, that’s a meeting where you need to be very aware that you are being accused of …

A federal court in Tennessee has refused to dismiss lawsuits against the owner and operator of the Coyote Ugly Saloon, where employees say tips are pooled illegally and they were retaliated against for suing over it. The retaliation suit came long after the original tip-pooling case was filed.   Budding Buddhism: Bad Topic for the Blog Bartenders at the Nashville and San Antonio locations of the saloon, which is known for its bartenders’ and female customers’ dancing on the bar, …

A doctor who claimed his employer set him up to get arrested on trumped up gun charges and strip-searched in retaliation for complaining about hospital management has won a $5.7 million jury verdict. Dr. Michael Fitzgibbons, an infectious disease specialist, was former chief of staff at WestMed Medical Center in southern California. He and other hospital staff complained about management of the hospital by its corporate owner, Integrated Healthcare Holdings Inc. One day in the hospital parking lot, Fitzgibbons was …

 A female deputy in Illinois who claims she was passed up for promotion because of politics has won a $1 million jury award against the county. Susan J. Lakics, who had worked for the DuPage County sheriff’s office for 16 years, claimed that Sheriff John Zaruba promoted less qualified candidates who scored lower than her on the sergeant’s test. She sued the county, claiming sex discrimination and political retaliation. The jury rejected her claim of gender bias but agreed that …