|
|
|
Article
published December 19, 2000
Marion whistleblower
needs help by Jan. 5
BLADE COLUMBUS
BUREAU
COLUMBUS - A judge has set a new deadline for
the federal government to decide whether to intervene on behalf of a
Toledo man seeking protection as an environmental
whistleblower.
On Nov. 6, U.S. District Court Judge Edmund
Sargus, Jr., gave the U.S. Department of Labor 30 days to make a
decision in the case of Paul Jayko, an employee of the state
Environmental Protection Agency.
He is the former site
coordinator of the leukemia investigation in Marion.
Judge
Sargus has set Jan. 5 as the new deadline, rejecting a request by
the Justice Department for an indefinite deadline.
The state
has appealed the decision and sued the federal government, arguing
that Ohio has constitutional protection - referred to as "sovereign
immunity" - against Mr. Jayko’s pursuit of whistleblower
protection.
If the Department of Labor does not intervene on
behalf of Mr. Jayko, he can no longer pursue his claims against the
state of Ohio, ruled Judge Sargus, an appointee of President
Clinton.
| |
|
