For Immediate Release
On October 19, 2011, our Dallas employment law firm filed suit against Standard Parking Corporation (“Standard”) on behalf of our client, Ms. Dana Heath, to recover damages for being wrongfully discharged for refusing to perform an illegal act. The lawsuit makes the following allegations:
Ms. Heath and her former boyfriend were both employees at Standard’s Dallas office. On August 5, 2011, the former boyfriend was arrested and charged with a domestic violence offense against Ms. Heath. Ms. Heath provided a sworn statement to police which prompted an investigation and an emergency protective order to be issued. The very next day, on August 6, 2011, Ms. Heath provided a statement to Standard which discussed the previous night’s incident. Ms. Heath informed Standard that the former boyfriend had threatened to shoot and kill her at work, along with other co-workers and one manager. Another co-worker wrote a statement regarding the former boyfriend’s threats against Standard employees. In response, Standard actually suspended Ms. Heath, without pay, while they investigated the incident. However, the former boyfriend continued to work at Standard.
The lawsuit alleges that, on August 24, 2011, Ms. Heath was summoned to the office of a Standard executive working in Dallas. In that meeting, it is alleged that the executive presented a letter to Ms. Heath which stated that she recanted her previous statements to the police and district attorney about the family violence offense. Ms. Heath was ordered to agree to the allegations in the letter or be fired immediately. The lawsuit claims that to sign the letter would have been a crime and subject her to charges including, but not limited to, perjury or falsifying a police report.
The above-referenced conversation was recorded.
Ms. Heath has sued both Standard Parking and the executive at issue and seeks all damages related to this incident including punitive damages. Ms. Heath is represented by Dallas employment attorneys Casey Erick and Tom M. Thomas II of the Law Office of Erick & Thomas in Dallas, TX. They may be contacted at 214-691-6200 or reached through their website at http://www.DallasEmploymentAttorney.net/.
