The Baton Rouge bus system and its former comptroller have agreed to settle a federal lawsuit the employee filed that alleged the Capital Area Transit System (CATS) terminated him in the wake of an “unlawful” drug test.
Judge Shelly Dick of the Middle District of Louisiana issued an order last month dismissing the lawsuit filed against CATS by former comptroller John Cutrone, who said his efforts to curb waste and mismanagement in the bus system served as a motive for the drug test.
Cutrone contended he should not have been subjected to a mandatory drug test under state or federal law, according to a status report on the case filed with the court in February. Cutrone, who suffers from attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), takes a prescribed drug for his condition and argues that the drug-test result amounted to a “false positive,” the court document states.
Furthermore, the former comptroller alleged that CATS disclosed his confidential medical information to a local television station, WBRZ, and in doing so harmed his reputation. CATS, however, argues the drug-test results showed Cutrone tested positive for amphetamines and methamphetamine and denied the transit system disclosed private medical records.
“The decision to terminate Mr. Cutrone was based on a number of concerns and findings that related directly to Mr. Cutrone’s responsibilities as the comptroller, not due to his failed drug test,” the status report says.
Cultrone and CATS have since resolved their differences, leading the federal court to dismiss all claims filed by the plaintiff against the defendant and calling on the parties to pay their own legal costs and fees.
“CATS does not believe Mr. Cutrone is a user of illicit or illegal drugs,” Deanna Wallace, the CATS liaison officer, said in a statement emailed to the Louisiana Record. “CATS understands Mr. Cutrone was lawfully prescribed a common medication for the treatment of attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder. Mr. Cutrone was not terminated on account of the drug test. Instead, CATS made the decision to go in a different direction. We wish Mr. Cutrone well in his future endeavors and thank him for his efforts."
Cutrone had sought compensatory damages, lost wages and benefits, and attorney fees as high as $500 per hour.