Whistleblower protection cited in two wrongful termination lawsuits

In some states, employees who bring potential company wrongdoings to public light are afforded whistleblower protection that can enable them to keep their jobs, but two workers have filed suit saying that their companies still terminated their positions.

A human resources manager for a printing company affiliate in Somerset County, New Jersey says in court papers that she came across a check-writing scheme that bilked her firm out of tens of thousands of dollars, reported the Star-Ledger. However, the company cited the recent economic downturn when laying her off and dozens of others in violation of wrongful termination laws.

Her suit alleges that although the co-worker who received her initial concerns was allowed to keep his job, she was fired in response to the allegations that she made because of the parent company's preferential treatment of Japanese employees, where the firm's headquarters are located, notes the report.

In another case, expenditures that were not business-related caused the firing of a meetings director for a sorority in Hyde Park, Illinois, according to a lawsuit filed by the former employee after she allegedly tried to get the incidents audited by an outside firm, reported Chicagobreakingnews.com.