A case out of West Virginia has many people here in Indiana thinking about our own employment laws and how some companies still seem to ignore them especially when it comes to cases of discrimination and wrongful termination.
According to a lawsuit filed by a West Virginia woman, in 2002 she was hired by Mylan, Inc. as a tablet inspector. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until two months later when she was terminated, allegedly for failing to disclose that her brother-in-law also worked for the company. This is not unheard of in many Indiana companies that may feel that family members working together may give preferential treatment to their loved ones, especially in cases where one has more seniority than the other.
The woman claims that she was later reinstated, performing her duties in a satisfactory and/or above satisfactory manner.
It wasn’t until 2011 that she filed a complaint with the state’s human rights commission, likely because of what appeared to be wrongful termination back in 2002. But she claims that after filing the complaint, she was subjected to retaliatory behavior, as well as repeated harassment from her employer as well as employees associated with the company.
She claims that her employer knew about the “disparate treatment” but failed to take action to remedy the situation. She is currently suing Mylan and has named Mylan Bertek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as a defendant in the case as well. She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for an undisclosed amount.
Source: The West Virginia Record, “Woman sues Mylan for discrimination,” Kyla Asbury, Nov. 29, 2012