A federal jury has ordered a California state agency to pay nearly $8.8 million to a whistleblower last week.
Former state employee Tamara Evans is receiving the judgment after suing the state for retaliation.
Driving the news: Evans, who was employed by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), found that a San Diego contractor was reporting classes to be full when not all of them were.
- Further, the contractor billed space for meeting rooms even though rooms were not rented.
- Evans reported the issues to state auditors, but was retaliated against by her bosses. She claimed in the lawsuit that she was denied family medical leave and was given poor performance reviews before being fired in 2013 for being a whistleblower.
- Just one year later, the State Personnel Board rejected Evans’ whistleblower retaliation claim, finding that her employer was not at fault in firing her.
The big picture: Evans was awarded nearly $8.8 million by a federal jury in Sacramento last week, finding that she had been retaliated against by the POST.
- Lawrence Bohm, Evans’ attorney, told CalMatters that POST has still not fixed the issues that Evans spoke out against.
- He also said the state could have settled the case for $450,000, but will now owe over $10 million once attorneys fees are included.
- Further, Bohm said the POST classes were effectively paid vacations and held in locations such as San Diego and Napa. Trainees were able to bring their spouses and spend no more than a couple hours in a classroom.
The state’s response: “POST’s position on this matter is and has always been that it did not retaliate against Ms. Evans for engaging in protected conduct, and that her termination in March of 2013 was justified and appropriate,” a POST spokesperson told McClatchy. “While POST respects the decision of the jury, it is disappointed in the jury’s verdict in this matter and is considering all appropriate post-trial options.”
