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Jury awards $100K; woman says she lost job over Flint data

The Flint Water Plant water tower in Flint, Mich.
Carlos Osorio
/
AP
The Flint Water Plant water tower in Flint, Mich.

April Cook-Hawkins worked for four to five months at the Genesee County health department in 2016 before being forced to quit

A jury has awarded $100,000 to a woman who lost her job after refusing to falsify results of blood tests for Flint children who were exposed to lead.

April Cook-Hawkins worked for four to five months at the Genesee County health department in 2016 before being forced to quit. The health department says Cook-Hawkins was ousted over her performance.

But attorney Carol Laughbaum says the jury didn’t accept that reason last week and awarded $100,000 for emotional distress after a brief trial. Cook-Hawkins told jurors she was directed to record lead-level results that she knew were inaccurate.

The lawyer who represented Cook-Hawkins' boss at the health department has not commented on the decision.

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