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Workplace lawsuit against Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth settled

ASSOCIATED PRESS

In this Aug. 13, 2014 photo, U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., appears at a brunch in Springfield, Ill.

CHICAGO >> A potentially politically embarrassing civil lawsuit against Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth, alleging workplace retaliation during her time as head of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, was settled today for $26,000 from the state of Illinois, with no finding of wrongdoing.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office, representing Duckworth in the case, said in a statement that during a pretrial settlement conference in Union County, “it became clear that we could resolve this matter … for nuisance value — saving the state the costs of lawyers preparing for and trying the case.”

Madigan spokeswoman Maura Possley said the $26,000 award to two workers at the Anna Veteran’s Home “will cover attorney’s fees and all costs,” and the “settlement is based on the agreement that there is no finding of a violation of the law.”

The lawsuit, which had been scheduled for trial mid-August, had been the dominant theme of Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk’s early attacks on Duckworth, currently a two-term congresswoman from Hoffman Estates, as he seeks re-election.

Kirk has been considered the most vulnerable of Republicans seeking re-election this year. Illinois traditionally goes Democratic in presidential years and the first-term senator has revoked his earlier endorsement of controversial presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump — and has been airing a TV ad to promote it — to try to mitigate any political fallout in November.

Duckworth, who graduated from McKinley High School in Honolulu and attended the University of Hawaii, had been appointed to head the state’s veteran’s agency by now-imprisoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich following an unsuccessful run for Congress against U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam of Wheaton in 2006.

The Blagojevich connection, and allegations raised in the lawsuit, had prompted Kirk to accuse her of hiring “goombahs” at the former governor’s direction, and he questioned whether she wanted to avoid testifying. Duckworth has said she wanted to get all the facts out but was prevented from speaking about the case while it was being litigated.

Matt McGrath, Duckworth’s campaign spokesman, called the settlement “appropriate for what was always a frivolous workplace case” and said she “has and always will put protecting our veterans first.”

“Kirk had clearly pinned his desperate campaign hopes on what a federal judge (once) deemed a ‘garden variety workplace case,’ and now it’s clear he’s got nothing left to offer Illinois families,” McGrath said.

Kirk campaign manager Kevin Artl said the settlement “cost Illinois taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars while prolonging the legacy of Rod Blagojevich corruption.”

“The simple truth is that if Tammy Duckworth was innocent, she would not have settled this case,” he said. “Instead of taking the stand and testifying, Duckworth has chosen to stay silent and settle the case at taxpayer expense in order to hide from the truth.”

The case had been dismissed twice before, and the state unsuccessfully had asked for the same fate again, arguing that Duckworth’s efforts to fire 22-year state employee Christine Butler from her administrative job were based solely on “insubordination.”

Duckworth later reversed that decision after being told that she first had to follow written disciplinary procedures and instead issued a reprimand with a paid suspension against Butler.

Human resources secretary Denise Goins alleged that complaints about her boss were ignored and led to an unfavorable performance review that prevented her from receiving a raise. Goins had said Duckworth urged her to “do your job and keep your mouth shut.”

Goins and Butler, who both continue to work at a veterans home, also say they were punished for speaking out after Patricia Simms, the acting administrator, allowed unauthorized people to care for a resident. The two state workers had originally sought compensation of at least $50,000, as well as other financial penalties.

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©2016 Chicago Tribune

Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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ARCHIVE PHOTOS on Tribune News Service (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194): TAMMY DUCKWORTH

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Topics: t000002488,t000002458,t000190288,t000002953,t000047694,t000047683,t000047702,t000194686,g000065560,g000362661,g000066164

11 responses to “Workplace lawsuit against Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth settled”

  1. fiveo says:

    Too bad. I have high hopes for Tammy Duckworth when she was appointed to the job but am disappointed in how things turned out but then in Illinois that is the way things are done
    I suppose. I was also disappointed with General Shinseki and his lack of performance after he was appointed to head the VA.
    Being veterans themselves, who were both wounded in war, you would think they would do a better job for the veterans, but I guess not.

    • copperwire9 says:

      Shinseki would have done just fine if Congress hadn’t cut so severely into the VA budget.

    • btaim says:

      You have now dissed two very able, qualified and dedicated people. Please tell us what YOU are doing, personally, to help the situation with vets – or to help anyone for that matter.

      • Carang_da_buggahz says:

        Seriously? They were both abject failures. The cold hard truth is that these two were nothing but POLITICAL appointments. Furthermore, they both conveniently met an unspoken RACIAL QUOTA in obama’s incompetent administration.

        • klastri says:

          I see. So anyone who isn’t your color is part of your imaginary “unspoken racial quota?” Or is it another color? Which color are you talking about?

          You are apparently ignorant of the fact that senior positions in any presidential administration are political appointments by law.

          It would help just a little bit if you learned something. Anything would help at this point.

          Let me guess …. Trump supporter?

        • lespark says:

          I thought The twins might be ready to join the Trump train but I can see their value as Hillary supporters. Good job, keep up the good work. The Donald thanks you.

        • lespark says:

          Klastri, yes that’s you. Takes one to know one.

  2. BluesBreaker says:

    Tammy Duckworth will be just fine and will do a great job as the next Senator from Illinois.

  3. peanutgallery says:

    Tammy fits right in with the corruption in Illinois.

    • Keonigohan says:

      Here here! She had me up until she walked out of the Benghazi congressional hearings when the victims families were begin to testify. From admiration to POS best describes her true character.

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