How We Recovered $1.8 Million for a Fired Airline Employee Who Blew the Whistle on the Airline’s Unsafe Maintenance of Its Aircraft

Our client was employed as an airline maintenance worker. His supervisor had overridden his concerns about the safety of a large jet which had been cleared to fly. His concerns led him to contact an anonymous tip line which then triggered an FAA investigation and grounding of the aircraft. Once the airline had correctly concluded that he was the source of that investigation he was terminated.

Florida and a number of other states have laws designed to protect employees who are retaliated against for reporting or objecting or refusing to participate in corporate wrongdoing. The Florida Whistleblower Act Private Employer Law, Florida Statute 448.102, protects private-sector employees from retaliation when they report illegal activity or a violation of any policy or practice contrary to the law. A similar law, Florida Statute 112, protects Florida Public Employees. Each act encourages employees to report illegal activities to their supervisors and employers and is designed to protect those employees from wrongful retaliation in any form including demotions, failure to promote or wrongful terminations of employment.

Once suit was brought the airline variously contended that there was no safety issue and that the employee had otherwise been insubordinate which had led to his termination. Our law firm retained a renowned airline safety expert involved in the investigation of the TWA 800 crash who concluded that the employee had correctly identified a flight safety issue which properly had led to the grounding of the aircraft. 

Rather than face a trial where further public exposure of its corporate corruption would be broadcast, the airline paid our client $1.8 million. Our lawyers know how to leverage the facts of your case to yield the best possible recovery for you. If you or a loved one has been unlawfully terminated for raising concerns about an employer’s wrongdoing, give us a call for a free case review.