Appeals Court Upholds $250K in Damages Against Pan Am Railways for Injured Maine Employee
April 27, 2017
A federal appeals court has upheld $250,000 in damages against Pan Am Railways, saying the company illegally retaliated against a Maine employee.
The Portland Press Herald reports conductor Jason Raye told his supervisors about a pile of railroad ties next to a track in 2011 at the company’s Waterville rail yard. He suffered a sprained ankle after stepping onto the ties several weeks later. Pan Am threatened to fire Raye for providing “false statements” about his injury.
In its ruling, the appeals court says the company exaggerated Raye’s conflicting statements and Pan Am appears to support “a corporate culture more focused on retaliation than on safety.”
Calls to Pan Am’s lawyer were not immediately returned.