Fired IT director who testified in George Zimmerman trial will sue State Attorney's O
Ben Kruidbos testified last month that prosecutors did not turn over all information to George Zimmerman’s defense team in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Last week, State Attorney Angela Corey fired Kruidbos. Now, his attorney says he plans on filing a lawsuit within 30 days.
“He has certainly received a major body blow by the conduct of the State Attorney’s Office,” said his attorney, Wesley White. “He knows he did the right thing.”
The same day prosecutors finished their closing arguments, one of Corey’s investigators went to Ben Kruidbos’ home about 7:30 a.m. to hand-deliver a letter that said Kruidbos “can never again be trusted to step foot in this office.”
On Tuesday, White said he will file a whistleblower lawsuit on Kruidbos’ behalf in Florida’s Fourth Judicial District Circuit against the State Attorney’s Office.
Cheryl Peek, the managing director of the State Attorney’s Office, wrote the six-page termination letter, which also said, ““Your egregious lack of regard for the sensitive nature of the information handled by this office is completely abhorrent. You have proven to be completely untrustworthy.”
Peek noted he was questioned in March when the office was trying to determine who had leaked personnel information obtained through a computer breach.
She also wrote that Kruidbos did a poor job overseeing the information technology department, violated public records law for retaining documents and was insubordinate.
A document dated May 16, however, says he received a pay raise for “meritorious performance.”
On Friday, Kruidbos said he had acted in good faith about “genuine concerns.”
“I don’t have any regrets,” he said then, “but I am terrified about the future and what that will end up being.”
His attorney, White, had resigned from the office in December, and his dislike for Corey was known by the State Attorney’s Office.
When White resigned, Peek wrote in Kruidbos’ termination letter, “he was clearly ‘not happy.’”
White said he needs to determine how much damages Kruidbos will file for in the lawsuit.
“He’ll eventually, I’m sure, be alright,” White said about Kruidbos. “Ben is holding up fairly well.”
The lawsuit will also seek to return Kruidbos to his job.
Fired IT director who testified in George Zimmerman trial will sue State Attorney's Office, lawyer says | jacksonville.com
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