Pubdate: Thu, 28 Jun 2001
Source: Tallahassee Democrat (FL)
Copyright: 2001 Tallahassee Democrat.
Contact:  http://www.tdo.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/444
Author: James L. Rosica

WOMAN SAYS SHE BLEW THE WHISTLE, WAS FIRED

A former lobbyist for one of the state's biggest insurance companies is 
crying foul, saying she was fired this month after voicing concerns that 
another of the firm's outside lobbyists was supplying drugs to state 
lawmakers and their staffs.

That other lobbyist, Brian J. Hennessy, was charged by Tallahassee police 
with felony possession of cocaine with intent to sell on March 14, a week 
after the start of the state's legislative session.

Attorney-lobbyist Lois Tepper, 47, filed a whistleblower's lawsuit this 
week in Leon Circuit Civil Court against her former employer, FCCI 
Services, a subsidiary of Sarasota-based FCCI Insurance Group. She seeks 
damages of more than $15,000.

Beginning in early March, Tepper "began to suspect that Hennessy was 
supplying employees of (FCCI) with illegal drugs" and eventually was 
"concerned that (Hennessy was) supplying members of the Legislature or 
their staff with illegal drugs for the purpose of influencing legislation," 
the suit said.

Tepper was fired on June 7 -- 2 1/2 months after she first wrote to FCCI 
president G.W. Jacobs on March 23, about "illegal drug use in the 
Tallahassee office," according to the suit. Tepper's suit also said her 
firing was "retaliatory personnel action," illegal under Florida law.

A complaint in a lawsuit tells one side of a story. Jacobs, in a written 
statement, said his company "holds itself and its employees to the highest 
ethical and professional standards."

The suit's charges "are totally unfounded and have no basis in fact 
whatsoever," he said. "We absolutely deny any allegations of wrongdoing and 
look forward . . . to refut(ing) these allegations in court."

R. Timothy Jansen, Hennessy's lawyer, said he "absolutely, vehemently, 
100-percent denies the allegations. They're untrue and they will be proven 
untrue. . . . He's very unhappy with all this."

FCCI's main business is insuring workers' compensation claims for 
businesses throughout Florida and the Southeast. The firm lobbies Florida 
legislators on workers' compensation laws.

Tepper declined an interview. Her attorney, Steven R. Andrews of 
Tallahassee, would not comment at length but said FCCI offered Tepper a 
three-year severance package if she promised not to discuss her firing. She 
refused the deal, he said.

After she complained to Jacobs, FCCI general counsel Thomas Koval told her 
to work from home, which she refused to do, the suit said. Her personal 
secretary was then reassigned to someone else, and finally she was fired.

Hennessy, a registered lobbyist but not a lawyer, still works for the 
Rogers Towers law firm in Tallahassee. FCCI had hired the firm for 
lobbying; the firm assigned Hennessy the FCCI account.

"I suspect (the suit)'s nothing more than a disgruntled employee trying to 
hold up an employer and force a settlement," said Paul Sanford, the firm's 
managing partner.

The March charges against Hennessy are still pending; he has a case status 
hearing July 17, court records show.

After a drunken-driving traffic stop, an officer found 12 grams of cocaine, 
two grams of marijuana and $8,300 in cash in a golf bag, all in Hennessy's 
car, police reports show. He also was charged with driving under the influence.

According to Florida Department of Law Enforcement records, Hennessy, 41, 
was charged in 1992 with possession of marijuana, cocaine and drug 
paraphernalia; he pleaded no contest and was ordered to serve one year on 
probation. He was charged again in 1994 with DUI; that case's disposition 
was unavailable Wednesday.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom