Plaintiff worked as a contract employee for Defendant (DHS) for 13 years, and then his contract was not renewed. Plaintiff sued under whistleblower provision of State Officials and Employees Ethics Act, alleging that DHS terminated him in retaliation for reporting an improper expenditure to an auditor. Court's finding and entry of judgment in favor of Plaintiff, after 1-day bench trial, was not against manifest weight of evidence DHS committed retaliation under Ethics Act's definition of "retaliation", which includes change in terms or conditions of employment. The Ethics Act covers contract employees. As nonrenewal of a contract is an "adverse employment action" under Title VII, nonrenewal is retaliatory action. (NEVILLE and PIERCE, concurring.)
Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
Employment