Ingham Regional Medical Center loses appeal over wrongful termination

Mary Ann Bull-Ehinger was a long-term, experienced social worker who served as the  mandatory dedicated social worker in the Oncology Ward.  She was twenty years older than her companions in the Department, and her annual reviews substantiated that she was perhaps the most valuable employee in the Department.  She received the  highest grades for teamwork and her performance ratings were exceptional.  She also had a history of valuable teaching and mentoring.

Nevertheless, when a new administrator, Dr. Michael Perry, took over the management of the hospital's social workers, he immediately eliminated her senior position and assigned her work outside the Oncology ward.  Although  Bull-Ehinger took these moves in stride, and even though the other social workers suggested that Bull-Ehinger's work load was now inappropriate, Perry apparently twisted a single incident into "cause" to terminate Bull-Ehinger's employment.  He justified the measure by  claiming a need for fewer social workers and more case managers, however, within months he replaced Bull-Ehinger with a transferred social worker.

The Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the verdict.  It pointed out that Bull-Ehinger had established a prima facie case of discrimination, and that there was ample circumstantial evidence to allow the inference that Perry's purported  justification for the firing was "pretextual" and not credible.  It also pointed to her summary firing after a long history of professional performance, and the fact that she had to take a part-time prison job after her termination, as ample foundation for her claim of emotional injury.