The Florida court system will pay a $160,000 settlement to a court interpreter who was fired in what federal investigators say was illegal retaliation.
The interpreter was fired in 2015. The Department of Justice says she had pressed the Seventh Judicial Circuit repeatedly over the years for a policy ensuring language access consistent with federal law.
And after firing her, the circuit did establish an interpreter policy.
This week the Florida court system agreed to a settlement that also includes anti-retaliation policies and training for its employees.
Mark Weinberg, the court administrator in Daytona Beach who fired her, referred questions to a statewide spokesman.
The spokesman noted that there’s no admission of liability.
The DOJ complaint says Weinberg had the right to terminate the employee. But he could not fire her for "an illegal reason."
That would include retaliation for her part in a federal complaint filed under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
