Judge: Lawsuit Linked To Courser-Gamrat Scandal Can Go Forward

GRAND RAPIDS (AP) -- A federal judge has ruled in favor of two former Michigan House aides who say they were illegally fired before a sex scandal broke in the Capitol.

Judge Gordon Quist says Keith Allard and Ben Graham were engaged in protected activity under a whistleblower law when they reported wrongdoing by lawmakers Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat. Their lawsuit against the House can go forward.

The aides were fired last July, shortly before an affair by Courser and Gamrat became public. Courser and Gamrat were accused of trying to cover up the affair. One quit the House, and the other was expelled.

The Detroit News says the House had asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit. But Quist says Allard and Graham "spoke out on matters of public concern."

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