Detroit Evening Report: Jury awards $100K to Flint health worker in wrongful termination suit
Welcome to the Detroit Evening Report, a daily round-up of news that city residents need to know.
In this file photo, the Flint water plant tower is seen, Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, in Flint.
A jury has awarded $100,000 to a woman who says she lost her job after refusing to falsify blood test results for Flint children who were exposed to lead.
April Cook-Hawkins worked for four to five months at the Genesee County health department in 2016 before being forced to quit. The health department says Cook-Hawkins was ousted over her performance.
But attorney Carol Laughbaum says the jury didn’t accept that reason last week and awarded $100,000 for emotional distress after a brief trial. Cook-Hawkins told jurors she was directed to record lead-level results that she knew were inaccurate.
The lawyer who represented Cook-Hawkins’ boss at the health department said he was disappointed with the trial result.
Other headlines for September 21, 2022:
- National Expungement Week: 168K Detroiters eligible to have records cleaned
- Wayne County Court Appointed Special Advocates program transitioning to nonprofit
- Wayne State University receives $1.5 million grant to help low-income students graduate
- Detroit breaks ground on $23 million mixed use development in SW Detroit
Photo Credit: Carlos Osorio, AP
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