Axios and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which are jointly owned by Cox Enterprises, collaborated on this story.

Half a dozen former employees of the Georgia Department of Human Services allege they were fired after refusing to break the law at a manager's behest, according to a new whistleblower lawsuit filed against the state.

Why it matters: DHS has a nearly $2 billion budget and a mandate to provide a broad range of services to millions of Georgia's most vulnerable, including foster care and child welfare support, aging services and the distribution of federal and state low-income assistance.

Driving the news: In a March Fulton County Superior Court complaint, plaintiffs allege that a nearly two-decade veteran of the agency and procurement supervisor, Vermisha Guider, was fired in early August after she reported a manager who was pressuring her "to commit fraud, waste, and abuse contrary to the policies, procedures and regulations" of the agency.

• Soon thereafter, the complaint outlines, five members of Guider's procurement team were also fired.
• They allege their terminations also came in August — days after they reported agency procurement procedures as "clearly in violation of the current state law" in a meeting with management.
• A lawyer for the plaintiffs declined to comment.

The other side: Kylie Winton, a spokesperson for the department said in a statement they have not yet been served in this lawsuit. "We comply with all applicable law, rules, and policy,"...

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