Wrongfully fired worker reaches settlement with UDOT

SALT LAKE CITY — The state's transportation agency and its wrongfully terminated former civil rights manager have reached a settlement for her legal fees in a case that erupted in the wake of the $13 million I-15 CORE settlement.

An attorney for Denice Graham and UDOT reached the settlement Friday.

Graham said she's moving to a new position as a human resource analyst in the Department of Human Resources.  She said UDOT gave her a check for $57,600 to cover legal fees she accumulated over the past year.

"I feel good with that," Graham said.  "I'm able to move forward and I feel like I've been made whole."

She said the new post will pay the same as her former job as UDOT civil rights manager: $60,000 a year.

Graham was fired last year after being identified as the source of a leak about the winner of the controversial $1 billion-plus I-15 CORE contract. An administrative law judge told the agency to reinstate her after the Career Service Review Board ruled UDOT couldn't justify the firing.

Graham contends she was a scapegoat following news that the state paid $13 million to the losing bidder for the project.

"We made an offer and we're glad she accepted," said Jeff Herring, Executive Director of the Department of Human Resource Management.  "She'll be a valuable asset to our team.  We welcome her."

— John Daley