Paccar has asked the court to dismiss the U.S. Department of Labor's lawsuit against subsidiary Peterbilt for allegedly terminating an employee in retaliation for sharing concerns about a lack of COVID-19 precautions at the Denton plant.
The company based the order for dismissal, filed Feb. 2, in part on what they called a lack of evidence on behalf of the prosecution. The Labor department filed suit against the company in November alleging Peterbilt fired an employee for sharing concerns about employees working in close contact with the Denton Chamber of Commerce in March 2020.
Copies of emails submitted as part of court records show the employee, who was a member of the chamber's leadership program, received an email from the chamber March 19 about a Facebook live event hosted by then-mayor Chris Watts. The email asked members to share questions ahead of the discussion, which was being held just after Denton County restricted community gatherings, closed restaurants and entertainment venues and enacted other public safety measures in response to the first COVID-19 case in the county.
"Lastly — how are you? Really? It is our sincere desire to stay tuned in to our partners and our business community and your specific needs," the email, signed by then-chamber president Erica Pangburn, read in part. "We might not have all the answers, but we are dang well committed to searching them out."
The employee responded with questions about what action was being taken to mitigate...
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