Whistleblower To Go To Trial
On April 27, 2009, United States District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin held that Christine Anderson, an attorney working six years for the State of New York’s Appellate Division, First Department’s Departmental Disciplinary Committee (DDC), may proceed to trial with her whistleblowing claim that she was fired in retaliation for claiming that her superiors were “whitewashing” cases of attorney misconduct. In a 64-page opinion, the Court found that Ms. Anderson’s charge that the DDC had whitewashed as many as nine cases touched upon a subject of public concern and was protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Court, however, dismissed Ms. Anderson’s claim that she was discriminated against because of her race (black) and national origin (Jamaican). The opinion dealt with important matters of First Amendment protection for public employees and was the featured article in the April 30, 2009 edition of the New York Law Journal. A conference is to be held May 9, 2009 to set a trial date. Ms. Anderson is represented by John A. Beranbaum