Federal Jury Awards Montana Man $2 Million in Lawsuit Against BNSF Railway

4514 Cole Ave, #600 | Dallas, Texas 75205

Call Kardell Law Group 214-306-8045

A federal jury recently awarded a Montana man more than $2.1 million in a wrongful termination lawsuit against BNSF Railway Co.

The employee and plaintiff was Zachary Wooten of Columbia Falls, Montana. He sued the company, alleging it violated the Federal Rail Safety Act after he was injured on the job at a Whitefish rail yard in July 2015. According to legal documents, Wooten was working as a conductor at the rail yard at the time and suffered significant injuries to his arm and wrist.

The award from the jury included compensation for lost wages, pain and suffering and punitive damages. The trial lasted 11 days. BNSF released a statement signaling its disappointment in the jury’s decision and said it intends to appeal.

Protections against wrongful termination

The federal government affords whistleblowers some key protections against wrongful termination and retaliation when they speak up about wrongdoing within the workplace. These protections are in place to encourage whistleblowers to come forward with information about wrongdoing rather than keeping quiet in fear they will suffer extreme consequences for reporting what they know. In decades past, companies would fire employees who spoke up about these issues without much fear of repercussion. That’s no longer the case thanks to strengthened federal protections.

For example, if you are fired or otherwise retaliated against for reporting concerns about workplace safety, you may seek compensation and/or restitution in a lawsuit against your employer. For more information about the steps you should take toward a potential whistleblower claim, speak with an experienced attorney at Kardell Law Group.

By Steve Kardell | Published February 11, 2019 | Posted in Employee Rights | Tagged Dallas attorney, employee rights, retaliation, strengthened federal protections, wrongful termination

Awards & Honors

Our Office

Dallas Office
4514 Cole Ave
#600
Dallas, Texas 75205
Phone: 214-306-8045
Fax: 469-729-9926

Testimonials

"Steve Kardell was terrific in representing me in some very adversarial discussions with Citigroup and also later represented me in my testimony before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission." -Richard Bowen, Citigroup Whistleblower
"Incredible knowledge of employee related concerns and equally brilliant knowledge of health care regulations, standards of practice. I would recommend this firm to anyone." -V.B.
"Reaching out to Steve Kardell was the best decision I made. His ability to provide immediate insight and direction was very powerful, and a huge relief during a very stressful time period. For anyone struggling with a whistleblower situation, I would highly recommend at least speaking with Steve. After a 10 minute call with him, I had a better understanding of what I was dealing with. Even better, he gave me some immediate hope. In the end Steve did a better job than I thought was possible. Steve was able to get in contact with people in my organization, that I didn’t have access to. Because of his years of experience, he already has contacts in many organizations in Dallas. The entire situation was handled peacefully. I was impressed by his ability to “keep the peace”–rather than creating a battle with the organization. The reason I didn’t reach out to a lawyer initially, was because I thought it would mean an immediate end to any hope of a positive relationship with the company. Steve was able to address my concerns, and in the end I was able to continue to work for them." -KS
"Never thought my career would end like it did after 30 years of service. I was part of the first round of the so called reduction of force. I asked myself how can I be part of this with 30 years of seniority. How did they pick these 90 plus employees? Now, the culture of this organization made you question every decision they made. It wasn’t what you knew it’s was a culture of who you know. Nonetheless, I did not accept their severance package. I immediately starting looking for an attorney who would take on my case. After the initial call to Steve I had hope again. He was open and honest about everything and reassured me he would do his best for me, and he did. I had an awesome outcome. Thanks Steve you’re the best." -S.S.