Gas 'n' Go ordered to pay $100K for whistleblower violation

Editor's note: The original version of this story incorrectly listed the sum that was awarded for lost wages because of a reporter's error. The correct amount is listed in the story.

SANDPOINT — A U.S. District Court judge is awarding $100,000 to a mechanic who was fired for reporting workplace safety violations at a Sandpoint oil-and-lube shop.

Judge B. Lynn Winmill upheld on Sept. 29 the findings of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration investigation that determined that the owner of Sandpoint Gas 'n' Go violated a federal whistleblower protections.

Winmill called Gas 'n' Go owner Sydney Oskoui's retaliatory firing of the mechanic "reprehensible" and ordered him to pay $979 in damages and interest to compensate the employee for his lost wages.

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