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From: TSS (216-119-162-53.ipset44.wt.net)
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 10:29:11 -0600 ######## Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Jury awards chemist $1.3 million A USDA researcher in Ames filed a lawsuit claiming her bosses had retaliated against her. By PERRY BEEMAN Register Staff Writer 12/17/2002 A federal jury Monday awarded $1.3 million to an Ames-based U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher who accused her bosses of retaliating against her for a gender discrimination complaint that led to the lawsuit. Mary Jo Schmerr, a research chemist at the USDA National Animal Disease Center, had gained notoriety for developing a test for mad cow disease. Her bosses questioned whether the test worked and wouldn't let her travel to conferences to report her findings. Schmerr contended she was treated badly when she complained about the treatment of a female researcher from the Czech Republic, when she questioned safety at the lab and when she tried, unsuccessfully, to get permission to accept speaking invitations. Judge Ronald Longstaff said the jury in U.S. District Court in Des Moines unanimously approved $135,000 in back pay and $1.2 million in damages for retaliation. Schmerr had claimed she lost earning power because her bosses held back her research and related presentations. Schmerr, who has a doctoral degree, had her work highlighted in a news release issued on Oct. 21, 1999, by USDA's Agricultural Research Service. "Schmerr's accomplishment is an excellent example of how long-term investment in research can benefit American agriculture," Agriculture Research Service Administrator Floyd Horn said in the statement. Schmerr, who began working for the service in 1975, alleged that her bosses began to treat her badly by late 1999. She filed her gender discrimination complaint at the end of 2000. The lawsuit followed when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission did not act on the complaint. During the six-day trial, the USDA denied wrongdoing. "The case was without merit," Assistant U.S. Attorney John Beamer said. "We did things in compliance with the law and in the best interests of the program involved." He said government lawyers are reviewing the verdict and had not decided whether to appeal. Beamer and Longstaff couldn't say how the verdict ranked in size compared with similar cases. Longstaff, who dismissed Schmerr's gender discrimination allegations, said he hadn't decided whether to reduce the award. "It's a long ways from being over," Longstaff said. Schmerr and her lawyer, Charles Gribble, could not be reached for comment Monday evening. A man who answered the phone at Schmerr's home said, "They are out celebrating." http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4788993/20009404.html Subject: Re: TSE's blood test Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 21:30:13 -0500 From: "Mary Jo Schmerr" Dear Mr. Singeltary, I am very sorry about the terrible death that your mother had to endure. Stories like this keep me motivated to continue in my research. We are collaborating with scientists working on the human side and the results are very promising. We could move much faster, I believe, if we had more resources and if I received much stronger support from my administrators. It seems that many artificial roadblocks are placed in front of me. I appreciate your interest and support of the research that I do. Hopefully, we will get to a test soon. Best wishes, Mary Jo Schmerr TSS ########### http://mailhost.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de/warc/bse-l.html ############
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