Whistleblower Lawsuit Proceeds Against Pennsylvania Turnpike

A former Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission manager filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the agency, alleging he was wrongfully terminated in 2008 after he reported various wasteful practices, politically motivated contracts and other alleged improprieties. The case was given the green light to proceed this fall.

The former manager, Ralph Ballets, had worked for the PTC from 1998 to 2008. He filed his whistleblower complaint for wrongful termination in the Commonwealth Court of Common Pleas. Examples of improprieties he observed during his tenure that he reported included:

• Commission computer systems contract with Ciber Inc.
• Improper E-Zpass discounts
• Various politically motivated personnel decisions and actions
• The use of multiple unnecessary external investment managers

Ballets claims his two supervisors, the PTC chief financial officer and the director of accounting, engaged in retaliation against him after he raised his concerns in both written documents and oral reports. The Ciber computer systems contract was of particular issue, as he had issued reports to both supervisors about the vendor’s improper access to PTC insider information when submitting a request for proposal for creating a digital financial reporting system. Other vendors did not have the same access, which allegedly gave Ciber an unfair advantage in winning the bid.

PTC documents indicate Ballets and 14 other employees were terminated in response to the poor economy and not because he had complained about wrongdoing in the organization. However, the court is allowing the case to be heard.

For more information on how a whistleblower complaint could impact your business or organization, speak with a respected Dallas attorney at Whistleblower Law for Managers.