Herold’s investigation into Oracle began during the Obama era, and the department’s lawsuit was filed two days before Trump’s inauguration. Lawyers for Herold say the bureau’s leadership addressed them as well because of her involvement with the Obama administration.
What’s at stake: The Department of Labor estimates that Oracle has underpaid roughly 6,000 female and minority workers, hundreds of millions of dollars, making the suit one of the biggest discrimination cases ever pursued by the federal government.
What the Department of Labor says: A Labor Department spokesman told POLITICO that Scalia had not been involved in settlement discussions or other communications with Oracle or its attorneys. The spokesman also noted that the company and the agency are involved in other legal disputes. “The suggestion that departmental leadership shows wrong favoritism shows Oracle is absurd,” the spokesman said.
Further, the spokesman denied that Herold is a whisteblower as the victim of revenge.
What follows: Herold’s lawyers are appealing to her that she be remanded in custody pending an investigation into her complaint. Such a move would require Scalia’s approval, so lawyers have also demanded that he and other Labor leaders involved in the case resign.
