Former Employee of Ad Agency Sues Company Alleging Wrongful Termination over COVID Issues in Project

Tiffani Harcrow, a former employee of Omelet LLC ad agency in Culver City, recently filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against her former employer. She alleges the company wrongfully fired her in May after she expressed concerns about an advertising project with Princess Cruises that she believed minimized the potential coronavirus-related health risks to customers.

Case background

Harcrow had routinely received “glowing evaluations” for her work with the company, according to the lawsuit. However, in April, Harcrow says the company demanded her team develop a marketing campaign for Princess Cruise Lines she characterizes as “materially false, misleading and dangerous.” The goal of the campaign, according to Harcrow, was to mislead consumers into believing it was safe to take a cruise as of June 30, despite public health advice and guidelines that do not align with that view.

In addition, Harcrow provided evidence in the form of a briefing from Omelet from April 22 that stated Princess’s objective of persuading customers its cruise lines were safe. At that point, Harcrow and other employees at Omelet knew government agencies and Congress itself were investigating cruise lines and their failure to protect staff and passengers. She objected to the assignment and brought her concerns to supervisors, asking whether or not safety protocols were in place. Harcrow says her own supervisor said they would not put their family on a cruise ship, but that it was their “duty” to perform the work as instructed by the client.

Harcrow says that by moving forward with the project, the company “violated its own professional core value” to be truthful in its work.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued a no-sail order that suspended all cruise line operations through July 24.

If you believe you have been the victim of wrongful termination, you are within your rights to file a lawsuit against your former employer. Contact an experienced whistleblower lawyer at Kardell Law Group for more information about how to proceed with your case.