CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner is calling for oversight over the state’s Board of Risk and Insurance Management after former Secretary of State’s Office employees brought lawsuits against Warner for being terminated.
Warner has stood behind his decision to fire 16 employees after taking office in January 2017. Four employees were awarded a $1 million settlement in September for wrongful termination.
According to Warner, BRIM has negotiated settlements for 10 remaining cases totaling more than $3 million. He asked BRIM to take each case before a jury, arguing the employees were on at-will status.
“Agency heads and employees alike have the discretion to terminate ‘at will’ employment. Any change to that interpretation is a legislative decision, not BRIM’s,” he said in a release Friday.
Warner also said he plans to meet with legislative leaders to discuss how to review BRIM’S procedures.
“BRIM spends millions of dollars every year to settle frivolous lawsuits based on a flawed accounting practice they call ‘risk management.’ That practice allows BRIM to authorize huge settlement amounts to avoid trial at all costs,” he added.
“BRIM settles these types of lawsuits without the approval or consent of the agency head involved, and without oversight by the governor or the Legislature. They answer to no one. That has to change.”
State lawmakers debated who should have final say-so on settlements during interim meetings earlier this month, although a policy change was not made.