WNPRC Vet Files Suit

Ex-staffer At Uw's Monkey Lab Files Suit

Veterinarian Alleges She Was Fired Because She Raised Concerns About Treatment Of Research Animals.

Wisconsin State Journal :: LOCAL/WISCONSIN :: C3

Friday, December 6, 2002

Ed Treleven Courts reporter

A former veterinarian for UW-Madison's Regional Primate Research Center is suing the university, alleging that she was fired because she raised concerns about the treatment of research monkeys. Jennifer Hess, who worked at the primate lab for about 4 1/2 months, alleges in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Dane County Circuit Court that she was fired April 12 after reporting her concerns about the care of rhesus macaques to her superiors.

In addition to the UW Board of Regents, the lawsuit names as defendants Joseph Kemnitz, primate lab director; Robert Watson, the lab's associate director; Kirk Boehm, the lab's interim assistant director; and Amy Usborne, head of the lab's pathology unit.

University of Wisconsin System spokesman Erik Christianson said the university has not seen the lawsuit and generally doesn't comment on personnel matters.

According to the lawsuit, Hess expressed concerns about neglect and cruel and improper treatment of monkeys in neuroscience experiments, about failures to follow protocol in a neuroscience experiment that resulted in the death of a monkey, about deficiencies in written records of animals, and about unauthorized editing of clinical notes, among other issues.

Her attorney, Mary Kennelly, said Hess was told that her reports were disturbing to researchers and that they were the reason she was fired.

"It interfered with the ability of some of the researchers to conduct the type of research they were doing," Kennelly said.

Hess is seeking back pay and benefits, punitive damages and compensation for future lost earning capacity. She also wants a finding that the defendants violated her First Amendment rights and an order recommending to the Board of Regents that disciplinary action be taken against the individual defendants.

From:

madison.com

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