Florida Department of Children & Families v. Shapiro

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) appeals a judgment in favor of a terminated employee based on two claims of discrimination and one claim of retaliation. It argues the trial court erred in failing to direct a verdict in its favor because the plaintiff failed to prove a prima facie case to support each of the three claims. We agree and reverse.

The origin of the claims arose from the plaintiffs testimony in a 2001 grand jury proceeding. There, she testified that a coworker had been negligent in the supervision of an abused child under DCF supervision. The civil litigation…