Citgo Escapes Illinois Refinery Whistleblower’s Lawsuit

A former safety coordinator for CITGO Petroleum Corp. who alleges he lost his job because he reported safety violations saw his lawsuit fail at the Northern District of Illinois.

Amando Arias worked at Citgo’s refinery in Lemont, Ill. Arias claims that in 2011 he became aware that Citgo was operating a fluid catalytic cracking unit with a weakened metal surface, which periodically suffered emergency shutdowns due to reactor leaks. Citgo allegedly responded to the problem by “scabbing,” a temporary solution of placing a metal plate over the leak and welding it in place. Citgo claims the unit didn’t experience any ...