A Virginia man filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against his former employer, the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority, after he said he was fired for reporting the unethical behavior of his superiors. Plaintiff Lewis Barlow submitted his complaint in mid-January in Berkeley County Circuit Court.
According to online news sources like the Herald-Mail, Barlow was terminated on January 19, 2011. Court documents revealed that the plaintiff alleged he was let go by Joseph DeLong, former acting executive director of the jail authority, for informing administrators to the "many irregularities, including possible state and federal crimes," committed by individuals above him. As an administrator, Barlow said he knew of corrections officers hiding narcotics in pizzas and giving them to women prisoners in exchange for sexual favors. The plaintiff also declared that the officers would look at the female inmates as they bathed.
"What is going over there is incredible,'' he told The Associated Press. "People don't know because they cover it up.''
Barlow is seeking $500,000 in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages. He said the state is guilty of breaching the rights given to him under the West Virginia Human Rights Act. As of March 22, no hearing dates have been scheduled. The judge in the case is Christopher Wilkes.
He was an employee of the jail from June 2008 until he was fired on January 19, 2010.
If you live in Missouri and have been the let go for an invalid reason, consider scheduling a consultation with wrongful termination lawyers. These experienced and locally based professionals can assess your claim, try your case in court and help you recover damages you may be entitled to.