WVSU Research Corp. settles wrongful termination suit for $55K | West Virginia Record

Though reached in '09, officials attempted to keep details secret.

W.Va. State Research Corp. named in another termination suit | West Virginia Record

Marie Estep's comes in midst of details revealed in '09 settlement involving Katara Sowell.

Has Hazo Carter gone soft on retaliation?

On Tuesday, the WVSU Free Press reposted a story in the June 23 edition of The West Virginia Record concerning a trial date in the lawsuit Katara Sowell filed against the West Virginia State University Research and Development Corporation. According to the article, Sowell was let go as a human resources assistant because of a "lack of funding."

However, Sowell alleges her dismissal from RDC was politically motiviated. Specifically, Sowell alleges RDC officials retaliated against her after she expressed concerns about harassment and financial mismanagement to higher ups, including WVSU President Hazo W. Carter Jr. who is also president of RDC's board of directors.

The allegation that Carter took no action on Sowell's concerns is most shocking since he has spoken out against retaliation. In fact, here is what State's longest serving president had to say about retaliation during a public forum held Nov. 30, 2006 on the university's strategic plan.

"We will not tolerate retaliation. If there is ever any of that kind of threat, you can come to one of us."

Suit against WVSURDC set for April

After being bounced between state and federal courts, a lawsuit filed by a former employee of the research division of West Virginia State University is slated for trial in the spring.

On June 11, a scheduling conference was held in Kanawha Circuit Court in the case of Katara Sowell v. West Virginia State University Research and Development Corporation. In November, Sowell brought suit against the Corporation alleging both its human resources director, Shelvy Campbell, and A. Joseph Kusimo, director of the university's NASA program, created a hostile work environment during her six months there.

Sowell's suit, court records show, also alleges the Corporation retaliated against her after she addressed her concerns to higher ups including university President Hazo W. Carter Jr., who is also president of the Corporation's board of directors. She claims that shortly thereafter her job was cut because of "a lack of funding."

On March 24, the case was transferred to U. S. District Court because of federal wage and hour issues Sowell raised. However, her attorney, Scott Kaminski, asked the case be remanded back to state court because the "Plaintiff's perceived pursuit of a federal claim was the sole basis for federal jurisdiction in this matter."

Court records show Judge Joseph Goodwin granted Kaminski's motion on May 23.

In her scheduling order, Kanawha Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey Walker set Jan. 9, 2009 for the completion of discovery. Should the parties fail to mediate the dispute before the pretrial conference on April 9, 2009, then trial will begin 11 days later at 9 a.m

For more on this story, go to The West Virginia Record

Photos: East Hall (top left), located on the lower end of campus, is the home of State's Research and Development Corporation. Katara Sowell, a former RDC employee, filed a lawsuit against not only the RDC, but also its human resources director Shelvy Campbell and Joseph Kusimo (pictured above), who works for WVSU's NASA program, for creating a hostile work environment during her employment there. The case is slated for trial in April 2009.