In what could be a first-of-its-kind decision, an appeals court has said a state agency is shielded from a lawsuit filed by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper who contended he faced job discrimination because of his service in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

A three-judge panel of the First District Court of Appeal ruled Friday that sovereign immunity protects the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles from the lawsuit filed in 2014 by James Hightower, who alleged he faced a “hostile work environment” at the highway patrol because of leave he took for military duties.

This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.

To view this content, please continue to their sites.

Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Why am I seeing this?

LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.

For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]