LPS employee files whistleblower suit
By Rebecca Jones
STAFF WRITER
The former controller of Livonia Public Schools has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the district, claiming she was retaliated against for criticizing accounting practices.
Margaret Flower is suing LPS, Supt. Randy Liepa and Lisa Levesque, director of business services, seeking damages in excess of $25,000, according to a complaint filed in Wayne County Circuit Court.
Flower claims that her position was eliminated after she criticized purchasing and accounting practices stemming from the Legacy Initiative decision to close and reconfigure schools.The district was served with the suit late last week.
The claims are unfounded, said Donna McDowell, administrator of communication for the district. "We're confident that the court will agree."
Flower, a Dearborn Heights resident, has been on medical leave since Dec. 11, 2006, with an indefinite return date. In June, she received a letter that the district eliminated the controller position due to reorganization in the finance office. The letter stated that her school employment was not terminated.
Flower has continued to receive employment benefits, McDowell said. "She can return to work."
The district has continued to inform Margaret she will be considered for placement in any vacancy for which she is qualified," McDowell said. "We really feel that Margaret has been treated fairly throughout all her years of employment.
"Flower has worked for the district since August 1986. Court files state that she was suspended from her job for insubordination for three weeks on Nov. 17, 2006, and that she has become emotionally traumatized requiring medical care.
Her attorney, Douglas Webster, could not be reached for further comment.
In addition to breach of contract, Flower claims a violation of the Whistleblower Protection Act, after she spoke out against accounting practices that she said would result in unreliable financial documents for the district. She said that her job was eliminated as a result of talking to the media. McDowell, who has not seen the lawsuit herself, said the district is reviewing the facts of the case. The district's attorney Gary King has not yet filed a response.
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