CHARLESTON – A woman is suing former employer Concept Mining Inc, alleging she was terminated after whistleblowing.
Mary Archer filed a complaint in Kanawha Circuit Court.
Archer managed employee health and benefits from June 2017 with an exemplary record, the lawsuit said. In late 2017, the management changed, and Archer became aware that there were potentially illegal activities going on at work and questioned the legality of certain conduct, the lawsuit said. Her complaints led to her being stripped of her job responsibilities, the lawsuit said.
Archer called the company "hotline" to report her concerns, but she is not aware of any changes, the lawsuit said.
At some point after making that call, the company launched an internal investigation at her workplace. She was told that she would be terminated if she cooperated, the lawsuit said.
On March 29, 2019, Archer was terminated. The company said she was fired as part of a reduction in workforce.
Archer accused Concept Mining of unfair discharge and retaliation.
The plaintiff is seeking all reasonable sums due, attorney fees and court costs. The plaintiff is represented by Greg A. Hewitt of Hewitt & Salvatore PLLC in Fayetteville.
The case has been assigned to Judge Charles King.
Kanawha Circuit Court case No. 19-C-781
