‘The evidence unequivocally demonstrates the Plaintiff’s termination was based on documented insubordination.’

Former COVID data manager Rebekah Jones won’t be getting her old job back, nor will she receive back pay from the Department that terminated her.

Judge Angela C. Dempsey of the 2nd Judicial Circuit granted a motion for summary judgment this week to the Department of Health (DOH) and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo. She ruled that former DOH Deputy Secretary Shamariel Roberson, also a named defendant in a suit filed by Jones, did not violate Jones’ First Amendment rights by firing her in May 2020.

In a 20-page order, Dempsey dismissed all claims against the Department, Ladapo and Roberson. She concluded Jones did not qualify for whistleblower protections because she participated in publishing COVID data she later said was misleading and “therefore ‘committed or intentionally participated in committing the violation or suspected violation for which protections (under the Federal Whistleblower Act were) sought.’”

The anonymous X account, Max Nordau, first flagged the decision Thursday.

The ruling by Dempsey, who was appointed to the bench by ex-Gov. Jeb Bush, marks another legal defeat for Jones. In December 2022, just over a month after losing a congressional race against now-former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, Jones admitted to illegally accessing Florida’s computer system in an agreement with prosecutors that required her to pay $20,000, perform 150 hours of community...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMixAFBVV95cUxQeENJNXc1N2tLVjVNWnFkZHdW...