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March 3, 2014

High court turns down Vescom whistleblower appeal

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court upheld a Washington County jury verdict that found the Hampden-based security company Vescom violated Maine’s Whistleblower’s Protection Act in firing an employee who reported a security violation to former Gov. John Baldacci’s office, not to his employer, in 2006.

The Bangor Daily News reported that the court’s ruling upheld an award of $183,000 plus interest to former Vescom employee Richard Hickson of Eastport. Hickson’s company was hired to provide security at a Domtar Industries mill in Baileyville during a visit by Baldacci and others. Hickson reported the safety violations directly to the governor’s office and not to the company, which Vescom’s attorneys argued was not covered under the state’s whistleblower protection law.

The newspaper reported Hickson’s email to the governor’s office was forwarded to Domtar and then to Vescom. The company fired Hickson the following day.

David Webbert, Hickson’s attorney, called the ruling “an important decision expanding the rights of all Maine workers to make whistleblower reports about the workplace protected against retaliation by their employers.”

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