Hospital Administrator Fired for doing jury duty!

[student456]

http://www.wftv.com/news/14473736/detail.html

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. -- A Seminole County woman says she had to spend six months on a jury, but she said the hospital she worked for refused to wait and fired her.

Susie Brown is now suing Central Florida Regional Hospital. She was picked a juror in an insurance fraud case. It was supposed to last four months, but Brown said when she told her employer it was extended to six months, the hospital terminated her employment.

"I never dreamed they would let me go," said Brown. "I was on jury duty."...

[sharona97, BSN, RN]

My so far one and only time called for jury selection, I was picked first case. I called my employer and told them the case may be an extended one due to the issue at hand. "Totally unacceptable, you go tomorrow and do everything you have to do to get out of this". Sounds threateniing,eh? So I happily went to the guard and told him I needed to speak to the judge. Just so happened it was a Tuesday, when all the docs and the administrator were in a lunchtime meeting, I asked to be put through, and the judge took the phone and threatened the administrator that not only would she be fined 10,000 dollars but time in jail. The only question the judge asked me (after telling him why I was there in front of him), do you feel as if you are being threatened. I told him "I feel that way".

That's all it took. What are these administrators thinking.....? not!

I also found a new job.

[LydiaNN]

I think long time ago in my state anyway, an employer could ask for an essential employee to be relieved of jury duty. It has been years since they could do that. I think the law changed in 1970 or there abouts. It is amazing how many people still believe that. Not to long ago I even heard a manager say she would see about getting a employee out of jury duty. I laughed and said, "goodluck".

Where I work, they don't pay us for jury duty. They give us a letter attesting to that and we can submit that with the notice, requesting to be excused from duty on the basis of the financial hardship serving would cause. I think that a lot of employers have the same policy- they'll excuse us, but won't pay us and they do give employees forms that verify the policy. Maybe those letters are how people get confused that employers can get you excused from jury duty.

[RN1980]

nurses can get off from jury duty for the same reason fireman and airtraffic controllers can, reason being that their abscence from work may cause undo hardships to the public (in our case patients). i was choosen for jury duty about 3 yrs ago and sent back the mailer form they sent me and marked that i was a nurse in a already understaffed unit and it would'nt be prudent for the patients for me to have jury duty. about a week later a certified letter came and excused me. also any one on active duty military is exempt.

[TrudyRN]

I hope she wins a big, big settlement, although I do understand the employer's frustration at having their key person out for so long.

[oramar]

Where I work, they don't pay us for jury duty. They give us a letter attesting to that and we can submit that with the notice, requesting to be excused from duty on the basis of the financial hardship serving would cause. I think that a lot of employers have the same policy- they'll excuse us, but won't pay us and they do give employees forms that verify the policy. Maybe those letters are how people get confused that employers can get you excused from jury duty.

Just remember the rules really vary from state to state. We have a one day one trail rule. When that law went into effect it contained a clause that really reduced the number of reasons you could get out of jury duty.

[woody62, RN]

On the questionnaire that I filled out the first time I served on a jury, here in Florida, I put that I was essentially self-employed. And as such, serving would be a financial hardship. Neither the state attorney or the defendant's attorney asked for me to be dismissed. Fortunately the trial only lasted two weeks and I already had two weeks of reports to do, while at home.

What really irritated me was when I was subpoenaed for a criminal trial in NYC. The only thing the city/federal government paid for was my plane ticket and two nights in a hotel(it was a combined state and federal trial for Medicare/Medicaid fraud). And I didn't testify until the fifth day, was held over the weekend and finished testifying on Monday. And you will never guess who the attorney, for the federal government, was. Rudy, the idiot running for President.

Woody:balloons:

[LydiaNN]

On the questionnaire that I filled out the first time I served on a jury, here in Florida, I put that I was essentially self-employed. And as such, serving would be a financial hardship. Neither the state attorney or the defendant's attorney asked for me to be dismissed. Fortunately the trial only lasted two weeks and I already had two weeks of reports to do, while at home.

What really irritated me was when I was subpoenaed for a criminal trial in NYC. The only thing the city/federal government paid for was my plane ticket and two nights in a hotel(it was a combined state and federal trial for Medicare/Medicaid fraud). And I didn't testify until the fifth day, was held over the weekend and finished testifying on Monday. And you will never guess who the attorney, for the federal government, was. Rudy, the idiot running for President.

Woody:balloons:

Here, the County pays you 15 cents a mile ONE WAY. As if the 15 cents a mile isn't inadequate enough towards covering costs, I always wonder how did they ever reach the decision to only cover one way mileage?

A woman I know was sequestered. They had to share rooms!

[grace90, LPN, LVN]

Here's some quotes from the article:

""He said I should have come to him sooner and he would have written a letter to get me out," said Brown.

But Brown felt obligated to fulfill her civic duty.

"I would not lie to a federal judge," she said.

When the judge extended the trial two more months, Brown said she was terrified to tell her boss. A week after she broke the news, she said she was fired."

That boss done dug his own grave. He better start checking the help-needed ads.

[flashpoint]

I've been called three times and excused three times...I am a volunteer firefighter / paramedic and every time I've been called there was something that I had been involved in with the ambulance coming up in the jury term. Twice I was acutally a witness! I think it is really lousy to be terminated becaue you have jury duty...I also think it is lousy that a trial would last six months.

I know everyone has a right to a fair trial and I wouldn't want mine rushed through, but I can't imagine having to miss work for six months...what a strain on finances and emotions!

[CardioTrans, BSN, RN]

I realize that this is an older post...but wanted to say this........

I got summoned for jury duty for this past Monday. Dec 3. Informed my employer that I had jury duty over a month ago. I was never taken off the schedule....and today is day 5 of this trial. Yep, I got chosen out of 200 people.

Counting myself there are 2 nurses on this jury. Everyone that I had told or knew that I had jury duty said "they dont keep nurses on jury duty". Well.....needless to say that my employer is NOT happy.

I can't change the fact that I am on jury duty....... trust me I would rather NOT be sitting on a jury in a Capital Murder trial.

[acerila]

she is probably lucky that she got fired in a way. I work in the area and I heard that hospital is a VERRRRY unsafe.