Many people in Tennessee and across the country are committed to ethical actions. In some cases, this includes reporting potentially illegal actions engaged in by their employer and/or co-workers. Unfortunately, one out-of-state man claims that his decision to report actions that he believed to be illegal resulted in a violation of employment law in the form of wrongful termination.
The man was fired from Cardiovascular Systems Inc. in 2015. At the time of his termination, he had served as a regional sales manager for three years. He claims that there was what he called an “illegal kickback scheme.” As part of it, salespeople were allegedly using training programs that were paid for to coax doctors to use the company’s products. The plaintiff also claims that some employees were giving away certain products to convince customers to give them referrals to third parties.
Unfortunately, the plaintiff claims that the company retaliated against him as a result of his claims. According to the lawsuit, his sales territory was reduced, which ultimately impacted his income. He was eventually terminated. A jury recently awarded the man $25.1 million as a result of his claims of wrongful termination, a verdict that the defendant intends to challenge.
Most people in Tennessee do not expect to be terminated from their jobs for reporting behavior that they suspect may be illegal. Unfortunately, not all employers are committed to actions that are both legal and ethical. For those who have been a victim of an employment law violation, filing a lawsuit may be the only option to ensure that their employer is held accountable and prevent similar actions against other employees.
Source: tcbmag.com, “Terminated Employee Awarded $25.1M in Cardiovascular Systems Whistleblower Suit”, Sam Schaust, April 26, 2017