EDWARDSVILLE — A former employee is suing the state transportation department, alleging he was unfairly terminated.
Dewitt Weary filed a complaint April 9 in Madison County Circuit Court against State of Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and supervisor Clark Kaericher, alleging retaliation and violation of the Illinois Whistleblower Protection Act.
The suit states Weary was hired by IDOT on Oct. 2, 2017 as an engineering technician, and was paid $2,640 per month. Weary alleges his salary was much lower than others with similar or less experience but he was told he must accept the salary or leave.
The plaintiff claims he performed his work satisfactorily and applied for a promotion for which he prepared. The plaintiff was interviewed by Kaericher on Feb. 15, 2018, but was not given the job. Instead, the suit alleges, the position was given to a younger employee with less experience.
According to the complaint, Weary was given two jobs reviews from his performance and his scores exceeded expectations. However, the suit alleges, the plaintiff was given a pre-termination notice March 13, 2018. He was then terminated for allegedly failing to adhere to policy manual standards and for disruptive conduct.
Weary seeks trial by jury, monetary expenses, attorney fees and court costs. He is represented by attorney S. Cody Reinberg of HKM Employment Attorneys LLP in St. Louis.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 19-L-501