A Blue Earth County jury last week awarded a former Good Thunder city employee more than $3 million in damages after it found the city violated whistleblower and human rights protections by firing her.
Ashney Helleksen, who served as the city’s clerk for four years, claimed in a lawsuit that her termination in 2023 was retaliation for her cooperation with a state investigation into whether Good Thunder Mayor Robert Anderson financially benefited from several city transactions.
Anderson was eventually arrested and criminally charged in October 2022 with embezzlement, theft, theft by swindle and violating conflict-of-interest statutes. All but one count were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
The charges stemmed from an investigation by the Office of the State Auditor (OSA) into Anderson benefiting from city contracts, including the purchase of a property that Anderson owned; a contract with Anderson’s private business to perform subcontracting work; and the city paying for a shipment of more than $24,000 of concrete to Anderson’s business.
The lawsuit states Helleksen had contacted the OSA in 2021 to report improper dealings by Good Thunder’s mayor and aided in the investigation by providing documentation and other information.
After Anderson’s arrest and a subsequent meeting in which Helleksen raised several issues regarding her treatment in the workplace, Helleksen allegedly “continued to experience retaliation and harassment.”
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