Court Orders Restitution for Asbestos-Removal Whistleblower

A judge and jury have ordered an Albany-based asbestos abatement and demolition company to pay $173,794 to a former employee who was fired in June 2010 after reporting improper asbestos removal practices at a school work site in Gloversville, New York. Champagne Demolition LLC and its owner, Joseph A. Champagne, must pay $103,794 in back wages, $20,000 in compensatory damages and $50,000 in punitive damages. The judgment supports a U.S. Department of Labor lawsuit that found Champagne Demolition violated the employee’s whistleblower rights. On June 10, 2010, the employee informed...