An officer in Lakeland, Florida, lost his job due to a workplace scandal, but it now appears that he will be getting his job back. He is also fighting to retain his seniority, benefits and any back pay that he is owed for the time that he was not on the force, according to his attorney. The arbitrator in the case has made the ruling to reinstate the officer.
The issue that sparked the entire thing revolved around a number of officers who were reportedly having sexual relations while they were supposed to be at work. They were all accused of engaging in these acts with a woman who was also employed by the Lakeland Police Department. Since the officer was on the clock when this has going on, he was released from his position.
Since that happened, he has been doing everything in his power to get his job back again.
The attorney for the officer did say that the man had made some mistakes. However, they maintained that the officer was wrongfully fired, and the court order that just came out backed that up. The man is to be returned to his status as an officer on the force, as if he had never left.
The city put out a statement saying that the order was being reviewed.
Anyone who feels that they have been fired unfairly or that they want to make a wrongful termination claim needs to know what legal rights they have. It is important for employees, whether they are in law enforcement or another industry, to remember that they have personal rights than even an employer is not allowed to violate.
Source: WFLA, “Lakeland officer fired over sex scandal gets job back” Holly Bounds, Jul. 28, 2014
