Former social services lawyer sues over firing

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky lawyer says she was wrongfully fired from her job representing the state in court cases involving child abuse and neglect.

The Courier-Journal (http://cjky.it/1MhAXz1 ) reports that Kelly Wiley filed a lawsuit in Franklin Circuit Court on Wednesday.

Wiley says in her lawsuit that she represented the Cabinet for Health and Family Services for nine years before she was terminated a year ago amid a dispute with cabinet officials over her concerns about high turnover of social workers and their increasingly high caseloads in its northern Kentucky Bluegrass region.

Wiley says she was fired in retaliation for her complaints, but says she was told she was being dismissed for insubordination, failure to follow instructions and dishonesty.

Jill Midkiff, a spokeswoman for the cabinet, told the newspaper she had no comment.

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Information from: The Courier-Journal, http://www.courier-journal.com

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