Asbestos Conspiracy Leads to Lawsuit by Officer

New York, July, 2008 – A former code enforcement officer claims he was fired for refusing to sign permits for an asbestos-related demolition. He has now filed a suit against his former employer.

The incident became an issue this past February, when demolition of a local schoolhouse was initiated. At the time, code enforcement had not issued any permits, and there were questions about whether an asbestos inspection had been carried out prior to demolition.

The officer was asked to sign papers that would have allowed demolition of the building to proceed, but he refused, saying his refusal was on the grounds that proper asbestos abatement procedures were not being followed.

On April 5, 2008, officials voted to terminate Watson’s employment, which has since led to his filing a lawsuit.