Have you ever given a urine sample? Sometimes a new employer will request you get one such test, and when they do, they will often send you to an independent lab to have the sample taken and tested. At one such lab in Rockleigh, New Jersey, a lab technician was fired and he believes it was because he blew the whistle on his employer’s questionable collection practices.
Did Urine Samples Start a Wrongful Termination Lawsuit?
It was late 2015 when Shiel Medical Laboratory of Brooklyn was acquired by Spectra Laboratories, Inc. As part of the deal, Spectra acquired all of Shiel’s operating assets, but when Spectra took control of Shiel’s Rockleigh location, one of the lab directors noticed a discrepancy. So, he reported these apparent deficiencies to his new employers, and that’s where his troubles began.
The lab director claims that was when he was demoted to a paper pusher position. Suspecting that the demotion was retaliation for the complaints he emailed to the human resources department. He was terminated not long after.
Now the man has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit. He claims that his former employer was using specimen containers that violated New Jersey state regulations. After he complained, he says that he and his staff were verbally abused by his medical director, and he also claimed that the company violated anti-kickback laws. This former lab director is asking for past and future pay along with punitive damages for violations of the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act.
If you have been terminated by your employer due to your reporting of unlawful practices, contact the Employment Litigation attorneys at Keefe Law Firm, where we’re always looking out for the workers of New Jersey.