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Maine Pays $250K to Settle Whistleblower Suit

AUGUSTA, Maine - The Maine Department of Health and Human Services is paying nearly $250,000 to settle a federal whistleblower lawsuit.

The suit involves Sharon Leahy-Lind, once a division director for the Maine Center for Disease Control, and Katie Woodbury, a CDC office manager.  The two claimed harassment and retaliation after they refused to shred public documents concerning a contract award.

Gov. Paul LePage says he reluctantly went along with the settlement.

"We were paying five lawyers and it could have been in the $500,000, $600,000 range. My recommendation was, in this particular case, there is sometimes when you should fight. But they convinced me we could save money if we didn't fight."

Leahy-Lind gets $142,000 under the agreement, Woodbury $22,500, and their attorney $85,000.

DHHS admits no wrongdoing. The state paid more than $320,000 in legal fees prior to the settlement.

Journalist Mal Leary spearheads Maine Public's news coverage of politics and government and is based at the State House.