Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Oil development giant Halliburton has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to have an alleged rape victim’s lawsuit thrown out, preferring instead to resolve the matter behind closed doors at an arbitration hearing. Jamie Leigh Jones, who was employed by former Halliburton subsidiary KBR Inc. to work as a clerical employee in Iraq, filed her lawsuit in 2007 claiming she was drugged, beaten, and gang-raped by several co-workers following a social gathering outside her barracks.
In September, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the arbitration provision in Jones’ employment contract did not prevent her from suing KBR and its parent company at the time of the attack. Halliburton and KBR have responded by filing a petition with the Supreme Court which includes the accusation that “Jones has gone to great lengths to sensationalize her allegations.”
Jones is not the only former KBR employee to file rape-related lawsuits against the company. Dawn Leamon and Tracy Barker both say they were sexually assaulted while working in Iraq for KBR. Leamon filed her suit last week, while Barker won a $2.9 million award during arbitration, although the settlement was eventually reduced to $1.4 million.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Halliburton Takes Supreme Swing at Alleged Rape Victim (by Mathew Heller, On Point News)
KBR Inc. et al. v. Jamie Leigh Jones (U.S. Supreme Court) (pdf)
Republican Senators Beg Al Franken to Defend Them (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)
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