Teacher Receives $388,000 in Whistleblower Claim Against School District

4514 Cole Ave, #600 | Dallas, Texas 75205

Call Kardell Law Group 214-306-8045

Pennie Davis, a longtime teacher for Jackson Public Schools in Michigan, won a whistleblower lawsuit that alleged the district retaliated against her when she talked to police rather than letting school officials deal with her claims of being assaulted in a classroom.

The jury in the case awarded Pennie Davis $388,485 in damages from Jackson Public Schools. The district was given 30 days to appeal the decision.

In the lawsuit, Davis, a teacher at JPS since 1986, argued JPS violated the state’s Whistleblowers’ Protection Act by unlawfully retaliating against her after she reported she was assaulted by a student at Jackson High School to the Jackson Police Department and Jackson Circuit Court. Davis obtained a restraining order against the student after the incident. She took these actions instead of letting the district handle the matter internally.

Case stems from on-the-job injury

The incident in question occurred in October 12, when Davis asked a disruptive student to leave her classroom. As she attempted to retrieve his artwork, he hit her hand away. She did not suffer a visible injury, but had her hand checked at an urgent care clinic and had X-rays taken. School officials asked Davis to remove the bandage to look at the injury the next day. She refused, as doctors had ordered her to keep it wrapped.

Davis claimed she felt threatened by the student and obtained a protection order that stated the student would not be allowed at her place of work. While the school removed the student from her class, Davis’s order prohibited the student from being in the same building entirely. Davis was transferred by the school to the Middle School to teach sixth grade art, which she believed to be a retaliatory act for how she handled the incident.

To learn more about the options available when you wish to file a whistleblower claim and the federal protections available to you, meet with an experienced Dallas lawyer at Kardell Law Group.

By Steve Kardell | Published July 5, 2018 | Posted in Whistleblower Litigation | Tagged Jackson Public Schools in Michigan, nlawfully retaliation, on-the-job injury, Whistleblower Claim Against School District, Whistleblowers’ Protection Act

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.