Washington State Employee Wins $2.4 Million for Job Retaliation

A Washington state agency and two officials must pay an employee $2.4 million for retaliation related to her whistleblowing activities and opposition to workplace bias.

Kim Snell proved the state Department of Social and Health Services, Judith Fitzgerald, and Una Wiley violated her rights under a whistleblower protection law for state workers and Washington’s Law Against Discrimination, a US District Court for the Western District of Washington jury said Friday. Fitzgerald was an assistant DSHS secretary and Wiley headed the department’s Office of Financial Recovery, where Snell worked at the time of the reprisals.

The jury awarded Snell $83,000 in ...