Judges versus engineers

In January 1991, David Monts, an experienced, licensed electrical (and nuclear) engineer, began working for the Physical Plant Services Department (PPSD) of the New Orleans campus of the University of Louisiana (UNO). This department was responsible for building construction and renovation. Monts' immediate supervisor was John Michael Parnon, an architect, but the administrative head, Frank Schambach, had no technical background. On a number of occasions, Schambach, without consulting his engineers, underestimated the costs for certain jobs. When these projects threatened to go over budget, Schambach insisted on various cost-cutting measures. In some cases, these measures entailed improper practices that put people at risk. There were also situations in which engineering changes were made by people not licensed to practice in the technology involved. Monts repeatedly objected to these tactics. When these objections, though supported by his colleagues and supervisor, were repeatedly ignored by Schambach, Monts went to see the UNO attorneys. He reported the problems and asked for help. But before anything came of this, and just before another conversation was scheduled with them in July of 1996, he was summarily dismissed in a letter signed by Parnon and Schambach. The stated grounds for the dismissal were that Monts had a negative attitude with regard to his employment and that he disrupted weekly staff meetings by complaining and arguing about non-project related matters. Monts initiated a wrongful discharge suit, which the article considers in detail.