Detroit’s top bus safety officer has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the city and his mayoral-appointed boss, alleging he was suspended and fired for reporting misconduct by senior officials and cooperating with an Inspector General investigation.
Corie Holmes, the former chief safety officer for the Detroit Department of Transportation, sued the city and DDOT Director Robert J. Cramer in Wayne County Circuit Court.
The lawsuit comes less than a week after Cramer fired Holmes for “misrepresentation of authority” after conducting his own investigation into the erratic behavior of DDOT Chief of Staff Jennie Whitfield.
The lawsuit alleges Holmes was retaliated against after he provided information to the city’s Office of Inspector General and sought to investigate a separate incident involving Whitfield.
According to the complaint, Holmes engaged in protected activity under the Michigan Whistleblowers’ Protection Act and was punished for it.
“There was no legitimate business reason for the adverse employment action taken against Plaintiff Holmes by Defendants,” the complaint says. “Any ‘legitimate reason’ proposed or offered by the employer was not the true reason, but was only a pretext for retaliatory actions against Plaintiff Holmes for his cooperation with a public body, as required by his position.”
Holmes is seeking more than $25,000 in damages, along with lost wages, benefits, attorney fees, and other relief. The complaint says he suffered “economic damages, and loss of reputation, with untrue statements being made about his conduct and work ethic.”
On Wednesday, Cramer fired Holmes after he blew the whistle on Whitfield, who security guards and employees said showed up intoxicated at the Rosa Parks Transit Center in late January, berated workers, poked a security guard in the chest, chased a bird around the building with a bottle of water, and drove off in a city-issued vehicle.
Holmes had looked into the allegations after employees brought them to his attention.
According to the lawsuit, Holmes learned of the Whitfield incident on Feb. 25 and received written statements from employees as part of his regular safety duties. But when he began looking into what employees described as violent and erratic conduct, the complaint says Cramer intervened and removed him. Holmes alleges he was then questioned by Human Resources, accused of acting improperly for gathering written statements, and later suspended.
On March 6, just six hours after Metro Times began asking questions about Whitfield, Holmes received notice of a 29-day suspension pending discharge. Less than a week later, the city ordered him to turn in his keys, city vehicle, laptop, phone, and other equipment, even though the suspension had not yet ended.
The complaint says Holmes’s medical insurance was also canceled effective Feb. 28.
The lawsuit says Holmes had already come under pressure because of his role in a separate Inspector General investigation into misconduct by DDOT employees and supervisors. The complaint says Holmes was “clearly identified as participating in an investigation and as a source of evidence” in the watchdog’s findings and that, after the report became public, Cramer and Assistant Director Andre Mallet “began to disparage and harass Plaintiff Holmes with emails and verbal discussions about his reporting to the OIG.”
After the investigation was complete, the OIG slammed DDOT’s leadership for shielding employees who disrupted bus service by engaging in a “romantic interaction” and abandoning a running bus. The watchdog found supervisors imposed unusually lenient discipline and failed to properly investigate the misconduct despite the availability of surveillance video.
Holmes filed a retaliation complaint with the Inspector General on Feb. 4 after his involvement in the OIG investigation led to him being disciplined and mistreated, the lawsuit states. The complaint says the city escalated its retaliation after Holmes continued cooperating.
In one of the lawsuit’s central claims, Holmes says he was effectively asked to ignore possible misconduct by a high-ranking DDOT official and then punished when he refused.
“Plaintiff Holmes was advised by Defendant Cramer through the City of Detroit’s Human Resources Department, that he will be terminated from his position as Safety/Director for DDOT, after his twenty-nine (29) day suspension, pending termination,” the complaint says.
It adds that Holmes “knew he was being retaliated against for his protected activity as a whistleblower.”
After the city discovered Holmes had investigated the claims against Whitfield, the Human Resources Department was outraged, the lawsuit alleges.
“Why are they coming to you, who are you, the police, the attorney for them?” Human Resources Manager Raquiba Dismuke asked Holmes, according to the lawsuit.
Holmes responded, “Because they trust me to do the right thing is why they are coming to me and they are afraid because they don’t trust Human Resources.”
Human Resources Director Denise Starr also “began yelling and screaming” at Holmes, the suit states.
Holmes, who was hired in August 2023, oversaw DDOT’s safety management system and held multiple federal transit safety certifications. His job included investigating incidents, reviewing hazards, and ensuring compliance with federal transit safety standards, according to the complaint.
Last week, the city said Holmes was terminated for “misrepresentation of authority” after conducting his own investigation into Whitfield’s behavior. The firing drew scrutiny because Whitfield was initially allowed to return to work and continue driving a city-issued car, despite allegations she drove it while intoxicated. After Metro Times began asking questions and reported on the unequal treatment, the city fired Whitfield on March 13.
The lawsuit raises more questions about how DDOT leadership handles misconduct complaints.
The city declined to comment, citing the lawsuit.
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