Suits claims employee was fired in retalition for complaints

A former employee of the Boys & Girls Club of the Bear's Paw in Rocky Boy has sued the club, claiming she was wrongfully fired after she complained to the club's board of directors about problems there.

The lawsuit filed Thursday in state District Court in Havre said Wendy Bradley complained about misuse of public funds, and about other employees using club vehicles for personal use and drinking alcohol and smoking on the job.

The suit claims one employee was paid for maintenance that wasn't done, that employees were paid for days they were not at work, that the club did not implement programs it had received money for, and that employees were not paid when they were supposed to be.

Club director Chris Jilot refuted those allegations this morning, and said Bradley had no access to financial records.

Evan McElroy, a spokesman with the Boys & Girls Clubs' national office in Atlanta, did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Bradley was hired in September of 2002, and was promoted to school readiness coordinator and club co-director in July 2003, the lawsuit said. The suit claims that when Bradley told Jilot that she planned to inform the club's board of directors about some of the problems, Bradley was immediately demoted.

"The employer knows that (Bradley) is the breadwinner for her family and the employer knows her family depends on her paycheck," the lawsuit said. "A reduction of hours and pay by the employer is really an attempt to discharge her."

"Despite being a tenured employee and performing her job in an above-average manner," Bradley was "wrongfully demoted in violation of policy," the suit said.

Jilot said Bradley's promotion to school readiness coordination and co-director was intended only to be temporary, to complete some duties left unfulfilled by her predecessor. Once those duties were complete, the board asked Bradley to return to her position as unit coordinator, Jilot said.

"The board wanted her to remain at her original job as unit coordinator because that's where she had the most experience, but she got mad and walked," Jilot said.

Bradley's lawsuit said she complained about her demotion and "was fired for reporting public policy violations to the board.

Jilot said Bradley was placed on suspension after she walked out on the job, and was later fired when she failed to show up at a board hearing.

Bradley's suit claims she filed a grievance with the board of directors, which "delayed in giving her a grievance hearing."

After several months, Bradley was told to appear at a grievance hearing on Feb. 12, but the board did not show up, according to the suit.

Jilot said today that the meeting was rescheduled and that it was Bradley who did not attend.

"The board was not available at the time, and they rescheduled, which was set for March. (Bradley) was contacted, and she decided not to go," Jilot said.

The Boys & Girls Club "maliciously and fraudulently discharged Wendy Bradley in retaliation for her reporting to the Board the public policy wrongdoings of the Defendant," the suit claims.

Bradley is seeking damages that include four years of lost wages as well as unspecified punitive damages.

Jilot said employees were allowed to smoke in the building but were asked to smoke outside when students were there. She denied that employees were drinking on the job.

She also denied that funds had been misused.

Jilot said she is angry that Bradley is suing the nonprofit organization.

"This is kind of a surprise to me. I assumed that after she received the opportunity to get this taken care of, and chose not to, I'm surprised she's taking this any further. We're a club that takes care of the kids here in Rocky Boy, and all she's doing is hurting the youth of Rocky Boy when she even does anything like this," Jilot said.

Bradley's attorney, Great Falls lawyer Patrick Flaherty, was traveling out of state and could not be reached for comment. Bradley has an unlisted phone number and could not be reached for comment.

Members of the Bear's Paw club's board of directors could not be reached for comment.