Can you imagine going to work and realizing your boss expects you to commit environmental crimes? Maybe your company wants you to dump materials where you’re not allowed, or they want you to pour damaging materials into water sources. That’s simply not right, and if you’ve been terminated since you wouldn’t break the law, you may have a case.
This case out of Texas is a result of a person being fired for what he perceived as whistleblowing activities. He was allegedly fired for, “refusing to commit a crime,” by covering up the company’s pollution violations. On top of that, the man claims that he was assaulted by his boss during a dispute.
The man claims he had been an excellent employee until the company wrongfully terminated him for failing to participate in a crime. He had refused to pollute or to contaminate the ground and water with pollution from PermianLife, his employer.
Under the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling in the Sabine Pilot Services Inc. v. Hauck case, he claims that the firing was illegal. In addition to being fired, the man states that the business refused to return at least 12 of his personal power and industrial tools. This man is suing for actual and punitive damages, assault, battery, and conversion.
If you’ve been let go from a company because you wouldn’t cover up its bad behavior, you shouldn’t have to worry about the backlash or difficulty of finding a new job. You deserve to be compensated for your honesty, not punished for it. Learning about the laws in your area may help your case and help you get back to work.
Source: Courthouse News Service, “Fired for Refusing to Cover Up, Oil Worker Says” David Lee, Aug. 07, 2014