Detroit Mayor Hit With $6.5 Million Whistleblower Verdic
Posted by
Larry BuckfireSeptember 12, 2007 8:01 AMA an elven member Wayne County jury awarded $6.5 million to two former police officers Tuesday in a whistleblower lawsuit against the city and Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick .u The jury unanimously decided that Kilpatrick and the city of Detroit unlawfully dismissed the officers. Gary Brown and Harold Nelthrope claimed they suffered after looking into alleged wrongdoing within Kilpatrick's security unit.
The state's Whistleblower Protection Act is designed to provide protection to employees who report or are about to report suspected violations of rules, laws or regulations by their employer or a co-worker. He said the protection only applies to employees who have a "reasonable belief" of violations.
Brown claimed he was fired in 2003 because he was looking into allegations of drunken-driving accidents, falsified overtime records and a possible cover-up of incidents involving members of the security unit. He said he was investigating claims from two former mayoral bodyguards that the mayor used his bodyguards to facilitate and cover up extramarital affairs.
Nelthrope sued after Kilpatrick's administration released a confidential police memo naming him as a source of allegations of misconduct by other bodyguards. Nelthrope said he was transferred out of the security detail and ultimately couldn't return to work out of fear for the safety of him and his family.
Mayor Kilpatrick said that the City of Detroit of appeal. His attorneys said the mayor's decision to remove Brown as deputy chief in charge of internal affairs came after he lost professional confidence in his abilities. Defense attorneys also said that Nelthrope received a disability pension and Brown was demoted - not dismissed - and received a full-service retirement from the city.
The state's Whistleblower Protection Act is designed to provide protection to employees who report or are about to report suspected violations of rules, laws or regulations by their employer or a co-worker. He said the protection only applies to employees who have a "reasonable belief" of violations.