Opinion ID: 1983165
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: facts as pled

Text: Mueller, Kirk, and Irwin, current employees of the railroad, and Copeland, a former railroad employee, allege in their amended petition that they worked as special agents or guards in the railroad's security and special services department and were answerable to Brittenham, Schaffer, and McManigal. Sometime in early 1982, another railroad employee, having been assured by the railroad's comptroller that no one would lose their jobs, informed the railroad's internal auditing department, which investigates improprieties by railroad employees, that plaintiffs had information concerning the fraudulent misappropriation of railroad funds and services by their supervisors. Thereafter, plaintiffs were assured they need fear no retaliation and were questioned about the alleged misconduct of their supervisors. Relying on those assurances, which are alleged to have been known to be untrue or made with reckless disregard of the truth, plaintiffs revealed the alleged misappropriation of railroad funds by McManigal and of funds and services by Brittenham. Subsequently, some of the plaintiffs, we are not told who, began to experience retaliation in that their hours of employment were changed. Plaintiffs then talked with one of the vice presidents of the railroad and advised him of the retaliation and of the fear for their jobs. Plaintiffs also revealed to the vice president, among other things, that Brittenham required his employees to make personal contributions to certain candidates for public office, for which they were reimbursed by misrepresenting the expenditures as other legitimately reimbursable items on their expense accounts. Plaintiffs conclude that this practice prevented the railroad from properly reporting corporate campaign contributions, in violation of the public policy of the State of Nebraska as expressed by the Nebraska Political Accountability and Disclosure Act, Neb.Rev.Stat. §§ 49-1401 et seq. (Reissue 1984). Plaintiffs further allege that they received assurances from the vice president that they need not worry about retaliation or loss of employment. The petition does not state whether these assurances were given before or after their revelations. In any event, shortly after the revelations, Copeland was discharged from employment by Schaffer. In addition, Mueller was advised his job might be abolished; Kirk was advised his job would be abolished and he would be transferred to some unknown destination; and Irwin was advised his job was abolished and he was being transferred to Seattle. The petition does not allege who made the foregoing statements to Mueller, Kirk, and Irwin, nor does it allege that those threatened changes in the employment conditions of those three plaintiffs have in fact been made. According to the operative petition, apparently after plaintiffs had made at least some of their revelations, the president of the railroad sent a letter to all railroad employees advising that it was their obligation to report to the auditing department any violations of the railroad's policy concerning business conduct and that said reports would be kept confidential. Each defendant generally denied plaintiffs' allegations except those relating to the identity and employment of the plaintiffs, the individual defendants, and others by the railroad.