McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

Local News

May 12, 2009

Labor Commissioner Fields settles lawsuit with ex-worker

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Democratic State Labor Commissioner Lloyd Fields has settled a lawsuit in which a former employee alleged she was forced to quit because she supported Republicans.

Attorneys for Fields and former Labor Department asbestos official Laurie Allen say the settlement included a confidentiality agreement.

Allen sued Fields, chief of staff Mannix Barnes and the Labor Department. A trial had been scheduled this week on the federal lawsuit.

Allen claimed in the lawsuit that she was demoted, told to transfer from Oklahoma City to Tulsa and then informed her position was being eliminated before she decided to quit in October 2007. Allen believed she was targeted because she supported former Republican Labor Commissioner Brenda Reneau, who Fields defeated in the 2006 election after losing to her in 2002.

Fields denied any wrongdoing.

U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron refused in April to dismiss the lawsuit. The judge ruled jurors could find in Allen’s favor if they believed statements by Marcus Hayes, another former Labor Department employee.

Hayes worked on Fields’ 2006 campaign and then, for a few months, at the Labor Department, Hayes was fired.

In a deposition, Hayes testified Fields and Barnes talked “of getting rid of the people ... loyal to Reneau because .. ‘we can’t trust them.”’

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