The Associated Press
HOUSTON — An arbitrator has awarded a woman nearly $3 million to settle her claims that she was raped in Iraq by a State Department employee in 2005 while working for a former Halliburton Co. subsidiary.
Court records filed this week show Tracy Barker was awarded $2.93 million to settle her claim against military contractor KBR Inc.
Barker had sued Houston-based Halliburton and its former KBR subsidiary in May 2007, alleging she was sexually attacked while working as a civilian contractor in Basra, Iraq.
The Associated Press doesn’t usually identify those who report they were sexually assaulted, but Barker made her identity public in her lawsuit. (click HERE for original article)
Good for her! Click HERE for an article that was written in February 2008.
Ms Sparky
Under KBR’s dispute resolution program, 95 percent of all employee complaints are resolved promptly to the employees’ satisfaction and at no cost to the employee. This is not only good for employees, it is good for business because it helps control costs, ultimately saving customers money, in this case, U.S. taxpayers.
Evidently KBR has changed there mind about that. They are disputing the award.
I wonder if KBR is going to charge that award amount back to the DoD and there fore the US taxpayor. I hope the DOD puts a stop to that.
I would love to know where KBR gets the figure of 95% of complaints being resolved. Have any of you ever actually tried to get a problem resolved thru the Problem Resolution Department??? It is a joke!!!! They are paid by KBR!!!! Do you think they are going to do anything that will actually help anyone else? They are going to try to protect KBR and KBR only!!! Think about it!!!
Yes…they have an obligation as KBR employees to protect KBR interests.
And it’s all a test..Just to see who they can get rid of next…Your so right Ex KBR wife. Because, once you make the complaint then you are considered to be the trouble maker…
I hear that. I can not tell you the number of times I was threatened to be sent to Fallujah during the Fallujah offensive if I didn’t shut up. Any bets on whether or not threatening me works?
Make a complaint and they find a way to fire you with KBR. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been with them for over 3+ years.
I have heard that time and time again. That’s why so many crimes have gone unreported. How many rape victims are out there who were afraid to report it after what they saw happen to Ms Jone, Leamon and Barker?
Just when it looked as if the legal battle between former KBR contractor Tracy Barker and Halliburton, which used to own KBR, was about to come to a multi-million dollar conclusion, filings made today in the rape case seem to indicate there is still some ways to go until it is all over.
More than two years ago, Barker filed a lawsuit in Houston federal court against the Houston-based Halliburton alleging that a State Department worker sexually assaulted her while she was working as a civilian contractor in Iraq. Less than a year later, a judge decided that Barker had to go through arbitration, as stipulated in her work contract.
On Wednesday, it looked as if Barker was going to walk away with a more than just a tidy sum. Her attorney filed a report with the court claiming that Barker “prevailed on her arbitration claim” and was awarded $2,934,376.60 by the arbitrator.
But that was yesterday.
Today, Halliburton/KBR attorneys filed a response, essentially saying, Not so fast, Barker.
The response states that the arbitrator has not, in fact, issued a final award and that KBR is seeking to modify the amount because the arbitrator did not apply statutory caps on the amount of money that can be awarded.
It seems like the two sides still have more to discuss. We’ll let you know how this all shakes out.
http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2009/11/halliburton_kbr_rape_1.php
Oops…..that didn’t work out so well for KBR did it? I want to know why no charges are being filed against the State Department rapist Ali Mokhtare.
I have to wonder if KBR will feel the same way if PEMEX seeks to “modify” the $350 million they (KBR) has just been awarded in arbitration?
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9D6H7680.htm
Thinking out loud – Ms Barker’s award is less than 1% of the award KBR just received.