Lawsuit: Botched Data Led to Mass HHS Firings

A class-action lawsuit alleges that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in collaboration with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), terminated 10,000 employees based on “hopelessly error-ridden” data. The lawsuit claims these mass firings, which occurred on April 1st, were a direct result of flawed personnel records shared among various government agencies.

Filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, the lawsuit asserts that the agencies, including the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), were aware of the inaccuracies but proceeded with the terminations without proper verification. This, the lawsuit argues, violates the Privacy Act, which mandates the accuracy of information used in adverse employment actions.

According to the Civil Service Law Center, the law firm representing the plaintiffs, the decision-makers acted with flawed data and lacked sufficient knowledge of the employees being cut. The firm further contends that these actions disregard the dedication of civil servants to public health and safety.

The plaintiffs, spanning various roles within HHS, including positions at the FDA, NIOSH, and CDC, experienced job loss due to these faulty records. The lawsuit highlights public statements from HHS acknowledging the data inaccuracies, with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly admitting that mistakes were made and some employees would need to be reinstated.

The lawsuit names HHS, Kennedy Jr., DOGE, Elon Musk, OMB, Director Russell Vought, OPM, the FDA, and the CDC as defendants. It accuses Musk of being deeply involved in the decision-making process and suggests that animosity towards federal workers led to the disregard of data accuracy.

The flawed data allegedly skewed the perception of various HHS offices, making them more vulnerable to cuts. The lawsuit details individual cases where termination notices contained incorrect performance ratings and misrepresented employee locations. For example, one plaintiff’s notice wrongly stated her duty station, leading to her inclusion in the Reduction in Force (RIF).

The Civil Service Law Center encourages other affected employees to join the lawsuit, suggesting widespread errors in the RIF notices issued by the agency. The lawsuit seeks financial damages and a judgment declaring the use of inaccurate data unlawful.

Other plaintiffs include individuals from the FDA’s Office of Digital Transformation, NIOSH’s Pittsburgh Mining Research Division, and the CDC’s Office of Informatics, Governance, and Assurance. They all claim to have received termination notices based on inaccurate performance scores.

The lawsuit aims to hold the involved parties accountable for the alleged misuse of data and its devastating consequences on the careers of dedicated civil servants.