| Fired State Worker Gets $500,000 for Wrongful Discharge Lawsuit During Governor Fletcher Hiring Scandal |
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State Worker Gets $500,000 for Wrongful Firing Lawsuit During Governor Fletcher Hiring Scandal
FRANKFORT — The state has settled a whistleblower lawsuit filed by former Transportation Cabinet worker Sarah Missy McCray for $500,000.
During the height of Governor Fletcher Hiring scandal, Sarah M. McCray was fired from her job in the Transportation Cabinet when she gave information and testimony to the Kentucky Attorney General.
McCray claimed in 2005 that she was retaliated against for cooperating with former Attorney General Greg Stumbo's investigation of hiring practices in the administration of former Gov. Ernie Fletcher.
Transportation Cabinet spokesman, Chuck Wolfe said McCray will receive a lump-sum payment of $500,000 for damages and be reassigned to the Personnel Cabinet.
McCray named in her lawsuit Bill Nighbert as a defendant. Nighbert, was at the time Secretary of the Transportation Cabinet. An indictment against Nighbert, which was later dropped after he was pardoned by Fletcher, alleged he told McCray that, if it were 20 years ago, "I probably would have come back there and socked you in the mouth."
Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear said in a statement about the settlement that he was "happy" to reach "an amicable resolution of this matter."
“I appreciate how difficult this has been for Ms. McCray and applaud her pursuit of justice," Beshear said in the statement. "It’s no secret that many state employees were mistreated over the past four years."
“This case is one of the most egregious examples of how many state workers came to work each day fearing for their jobs," he said. "It left us with the task of cleaning up the mess created by the previous administration.”
Old timers in Frankfort say that this type of case reminds them of the personnel actions and lawsuits that happen after Governors Nunn and Brown played games with state workers firings.
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