Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss Northwestern Retaliation Case.

Civil Rights 09/23/2020bhorwitz

As reported by Law360.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital cannot dismiss its lawsuit against a nurse who was terminated for warning colleagues that masks provided by the hospital were inadequate to protect against COVID-19.

“Northwestern had argued that Mazurkiewicz’s concerns were, “little more than a personal gripe” and that she failed to present any policy the hospital allegedly violated.”” Law360

Judge Sheahan disagreed and stated. “Illinois has a clearly mandated public policy of stopping the spread of COVID-19 and protecting the health and safety of its citizens… Plaintiff’s email was not sheerly a ‘private’ concern, but rather one that relates to the spread of COVID-19 within her hospital work environment and therefore one that has an ‘impact on the general welfare of Illinois citizens as a whole.”