December 26, 2005

PA Officials Fight Reinstating Blind Director, Despite Jury Verdict

Insisting that allowing Christine Boone to resume her job as head of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Blindness and Visual Service agency would have "disastrous results," state officials are appealing the November jury verdict that Boone had been unlawfully discriminated against because of her blindness.

In filing the appeal last Tuesday, attorneys for PA Labor Secretary Stephen M. Schmerin wrote that "the simple fact that she is blind does not negate the fact that she was exasperating to manage, devious in her subversion of her managers, and blatant in her contempt for the (bureau) and its personnel during her public attacks after her termination.

"Reinstatement is inappropriate for any high level manager, and especially inappropriate for a policy making employee who has refused to follow policy and asserted repeatedly, before and during trial, that the policy is illegal," says the appeal, adding that Boone displayed "hostility, animosity and disrespect" for co-workers during the trial, and "repeatedly attacked the honesty, integrity and competence" of Schmerin.

There was no discrimination in this case," says the appeal.

Boone's lawyer dismissed the statements in the appeal, noting that during the trial jurors had heard detailed testimony about her approach to the job and popularity among co-workers before issuing the verdict in her favor.

Read story from the Associated Press.

Posted on December 26, 2005