Former Oak Park Employee Sues Village Over Fraud Allegations

Oak Park, IL - A former Village of Oak Park employee who was terminated for reportedly emailing herself account documents is suing over claims that the village was involved in fraud of residents.

Jacquelyn Jamison, a long-time human resources employee with the village until she was terminated in February, filed a complaint with the Circuit Court of Cook County, according to the Chicago Tribune.

In the suit, Jamison said she was going to be a whistleblower after she reportedly noticed money was missing from the village's health insurance fund, and she said she emailed herself the documents to prove her claims.

According to the village, Jamison emailed three spreadsheets from a work account to a personal account, violating village policy. The spreadsheets were health insurance census reports from 2011 to 2014 that contained names, social security numbers and health insurance benefit information for employees and retirees of the village, park district, library, township and West Suburban Consolidated Dispatch Center.

"While the employee violated serious work rules that resulted in termination of employment, it is important to note that we have no indication that the information taken was intended for any illegal use," said village manager Cara Pavlicek in a statement. "But since we cannot confirm any authorized reason for the employee to take the information, we are erring on the side of caution and notifying those individuals affected."

Read more about the lawsuit from the Chicago Tribune.