Oxford, MS -- November 9, 2007-- What do you get when you come across a Jewish lawyer from the Northeast and an extraordinary lawyer from Mississippi?  In this case, justice for a client and an $870,000.00 jury verdict.

The story of Shay Hitchcock’s wrongful termination at the Transportation Security Administration is gripping and a true lesson in courage and perseverance.  Four years ago, Shay Hitchcock, now 27, a Water Valley, Mississippi resident, was employed as a supervisory screener for the Transportation Security Administration at the Golden Triangle Airport in Columbus, Mississippi.   Described by his immediate supervisor, Lawrence Lee, as an outstanding employee, Hitchcock found his place after 9/11 and was dedicated to security enforcement at the Golden Triangle Airport.

In March of 2003, Mr. Hitchcock was falsely accused of homosexually harassing an Atlantic Southeast Airlines employee, during a pat down of the employee’s groin area, as he was coming through a security checkpoint.  The employee reported the incident to Darrin Black, his manager, who in turn contacted Hitchcock’s supervisor, Lee.  After investigating the matter, Lee concluded that although Hitchcock may have been vigorous in his security procedure, no homosexual harassment had occurred.   

This did not satisfy Black, who pursued the incident with Lee on a weekly basis.  Eventually, Black went over Lee’s head and placed pressure on higher management levels at TSA for Hitchcock to either, apologize publicly for homosexual harassment or be terminated.  

Hitchcock, who is not homosexual, is a former valedictorian of his high school and was an outstanding scholar at the University of Mississippi.  He did an internship in St. Petersburg, Russia and had intentions of pursuing a career in national security.  He saw this first job out of college as a stepping stone to his career plans and knew that such an apology could be devastating to those intentions.  

"Rather than roll over and apologize for a false claim of homosexual harassment, Hitchcock stood his ground and was terminated.  He immediately began seeking legal counsel with respect to his legal rights.  Hitchcock ultimately found Morris E. Fischer, Esq. a Maryland employment lawyer who represents clients from all over the United States.  Since the case was venued in the United States District Court, Northern District of Mississippi, Mr. Fischer searched for local Mississippi counsel to assist and ultimately retained the services of the highly-regarded Jim Waide, Esq. of Tupelo, MS."

Notwithstanding the large culture gap between the attorneys, Fischer --- Jewish and from the Northeast--- and Waide, a religious Christian from the deep South, both worked hand in hand, successfully playing off each other’s strengths.  It was a case of true cultural diversity that strongly benefited the representation of Shay Hitchcock.  In Mississippi, Fischer got used to friendly people, a slower pace of life, and a very different style of litigation than anything he had ever experienced.   

The Oxford, MS jury reached a verdict, finding that Atlantic Southeast Airlines had maliciously interfered with Mr. Hitchcock’s employment and awarded him $120,000.00 in back pay and $750,000.00 in compensatory damages.  

For additional information regarding this article contact Morris E. Fischer, Esq. or visit www.morrisfischerlaw.com .
 
About Morris E. Fischer, Esq.

Morris E. Fischer, Esq. is a dedicated employment and labor attorney who provides tough, aggressive and vigorous representation.     

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