Orange County Employee Claims Retaliation

The Times-Herald-Record is reporting that Nicole Latreille, a Medicaid examiner in the Department of Social Services, alleges in a First Amendment lawsuit that county officials punished her for reporting to the FBI what she believed to be instances of welfare and mortgage fraud within the Village of Kiryas Joel.

She claims that county officials have docked her pay, moved her into a different position, and passed her over for a promotion. The complaint, filed last week in U.S. District Court in White Plains, states the administration learned of her contact with the FBI in January and began disciplinary proceedings in April. Social Services Commissioner Darcie Miller and Human Resources Commissioner Steve Gross are named as defendants, according to The Times Herald-Record.

The article also states that county spokesman Justin Rodriguez, in an email, called the lawsuit 'baseless,' saying the Neuhaus administration 'has prosecuted fraud at levels never seen before' and adds that Latreille 'remains employed in her same title and same salary, working for the Department of Social Services. Only her work location has changed.'

Latreille is seeking unspecified damages in the lawsuit.