A Manhattan appeals court has reinstated a wrongful termination claim filed by a probationary corrections officer on Rikers Island who says he was fired after he unsuccessfully attempted to assist an inmate who had swallowed a toxic ball of detergent.
A 3-1 panel of the Appellate Division, First Department, ruled that, while a probationary employee like Raymond Castro, who says he tried to help Jason Echevarria before he died in his cell from swallowing the detergent ball, may generally be fired for any reason, Castro’s termination might have been made in bad faith.
