Facts

Mary Diefenderfer worked at the Seattle Flight Standards District Office of the FAA as the principal operations inspector for Alaska Airlines. She began working there in 1992. Following a promotion to principal operations inspector, she reported to the Civil Aviation Security Office that Alaska Airlines had several significant safety violations. Diefenderfer filed EEOC complaints, and later a lawsuit against Mary Peters, Secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, alleging violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Service Reform Act, and the Whistleblower Act.

PLAINTIFF'S CONTENTIONS:
Plaintiff alleged that she was retaliated against and did not receive promotions after she reported the violations. She claimed that she was reassigned at a different office, and that lesser qualified candidates or male candidates would be given promotions instead of her. Thus, she claimed that she was constructively dismissed from her job.

DEFENDANT'S CONTENTIONS:
Defendant argued that plaintiff was not chosen for certain promotions because she was not the most qualified candidate.

Result

The jury awarded plaintiff $325,000; all pending matters ultimately settled for $2.5 million.