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Knimrod
12-16-2005, 11:39 AM
Former employee fired while in jail sues Daimler Chrysler
Dec. 15, 2005
DEE-ANN DURBIN
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DETROIT - A former employee is suing DaimlerChrysler AG, saying the automaker broke the law when it fired her while she was jailed on charges of murdering her husband during a domestic dispute.

Sharon Spangler was acquitted of first- and second-degree murder in 2004 after a Lapeer County Circuit Court jury found she acted in self defense when she shot and killed Steven Spangler in her Dryden home. Spangler says DaimlerChrysler violated laws protecting crime victims' rights and discriminated against her because she is a woman. She is seeking lost wages and damages for emotional distress.

"I've always felt that once I could tell my story it would make sense," Spangler, who now lives in St. Clair, told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "When I found out that Chrysler fired me, that was the most devastating point in my life."

DaimlerChrysler was served with a copy of the lawsuit Thursday, spokesman Michael Palese said.

"We certainly sympathize with Ms. Spangler. She's had a terrible ordeal over these years," Palese said. But Palese said DaimlerChrysler believes Spangler "was clearly and fairly treated in accordance with company policies and procedures."

Palese said Spangler was on leave from the company when the shooting took place and missed a company-arranged medical appointment to determine if she could remain on leave.

"If any other employee had missed such an evaluation it would have resulted in the same consequences," Palese said. "She was not treated any differently than another employee would have been treated."

Spangler began working for Chrysler in 1983. At the time she was fired, she was making $110,000 a year as a manager in charge of launching all off-model-year special-edition Jeep vehicles, according to the lawsuit.

Spangler took a medical leave of absence for depression in November 2002, at a time when her husband was becoming increasingly violent. Two weeks into the leave, her husband attacked her after he found out she was filing for divorce, according to the lawsuit. During the attack, Spangler shot him with one of the couple's guns. Both Spangler and her husband were hospitalized, and her husband died the day after the attack.

Spangler says she gave her sister legal authority to act on her behalf. Her sister made several attempts to meet with DaimlerChrysler about the situation and provided a medical evaluation confirming Spangler's ongoing depression when she knew Spangler would miss the appointment. Spangler was fired Jan. 3, 2003, the day after she failed to attend the appointment.

Spangler said she tried to get her job back after she was acquitted but was told there were no positions available. Palese said it was unrealistic for Spangler to expect the company would keep her job open for more than a year.

The lawsuit was filed in Wayne County Circuit Court. DaimlerChrysler is scheduled to respond to the lawsuit in the next 30 days, said Spangler's attorney, Jennifer Salvatore.

Link to story (http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/13417579.htm)

garyjt
12-20-2005, 11:33 AM
The problem is, even if you are eventually found innocent, that you will lose tens of thousands of dollars in attorney fees, lost wages, and your job if you are falsely accued of any serious crime.

The state must be responsible if they cant prove your guilt and compensate people found not guilty.

Maybe if prosecutors were held financially responsbile they would be more careful in who they put on trial.

We need a check and balance in our court system. Anyone who uses a gun in self defense might end up losing his job, his savings, and his house - regardless if he is innocent.