The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against a Bath, ME, dentist for allegedly retaliating against two dental hygienists who alerted authorities to unsanitary conditions at the practice.
The federal complaint, filed September 7 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, contends that Tammy Cook, DDS, who owns Bath Family Dental, discriminated against Dorothy Shafran and Chelsea Huntington after they filed complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) over alleged lapses in infection control practices at the office.
The lawsuit alleges that during a surprise inspection at the practice, Dr. Cook told OSHA officials that she knew who had filed the complaints and threatened to fire them. Shafran and Huntington claim that working conditions then worsened. Shafran was eventually fired and Huntington resigned.
The lawsuit seeks lost wages, benefits, and compensatory and punitive damages for Huntington and Shafran, according to an article in the Bangor Daily News.
Robert Kline, Dr. Cook's attorney, denied the allegations.
"There's not anything that suggests Dr. Cook's hygiene practices are not appropriate or consistent with OSHA regulations," he told the Daily News.
