HR Manager Fired For Refusing to Sign Off on Man Not Permitted to Work in US: Lawsuit

A human resources manager for a Bolingbrook company was fired for refusing to sign off on hiring a man not permitted to work in the United States, according to claims in a lawsuit filed in Will County court.

Fired HR manager Queta Ramirez sued her former employer, Valid USA.

In November 2012, Valid bought Unique Mailing Services, a company Ramirez, 47, had worked for since 2002, the lawsuit said. Less than a year after purchasing Unique Mailing Systems, Valid terminated Ramirez.

According to the suit, Ramirez “conscientiously refused to sign Federal DHS form I-9 for an individual whom she was informed was not legally permitted to work in the United States.”

Her “termination was in retaliation for her lawful refusal to commit perjury on the I-9,” the lawsuit said.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says Form I-9 is “used for verifying the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States.”

Ramirez decided against signing off on the new hire, who was to fill a position as a mechanic, according to the lawsuit, “because she could not truthfully state that (his) documents appeared to be genuine and related to the employee named; nor could she truthfully state that to the best of (her) knowledge, (he) was authorized to work in the United States.”