The Indiana Department of Labor has filed suit on behalf of a whistleblower who revealed safety issues and unreported overflows at the Michigan City Sanitary District.
The suit, filed in LaPorte Circuit Court on Tuesday, alleges that Ron Meer was unlawfully fired on March 31 by the Sanitary District as retaliation for his complaints to the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Agency.
On June 3, the sanitary district was raided by at least 25 agents from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and various other agencies to investigate possible environmental crimes.
When the sanitary district discovered Meer's complaints, his superiors informed his managers that he violated work rules by complaining to the state rather than going to his bosses first.
Meer has denied their version of events, and he declined to settle the case by signing a statement saying he violated work rules.
The suit asks the sanitary district to award Meer compensatory and punitive damages, as well as prohibiting the district from discriminating against defendants who file safety complaints.
Staff writer Gitte Laasby contributed to this report.
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