Fired workers' comp panel staff cries foul

COLUMBUS (AP) — A legislative advisory board born of Ohio’s rare coin investment scandal has been plunged into chaos after the sudden firing of its entire staff.

In letters sent to members of the Ohio Workers’ Compensation Council late Tuesday, three employees of the panel accuse its director, Virginia McInerney, of wrongful discharge, age discrimination, religious discrimination and harassment, and retaliation.

McInerney terminated all three on Feb. 16. A message seeking comment was left for her today.

The council was created in 2007 when oversight of the state’s workers’ compensation fund was restructured after an array of convictions stemming from investments in rare coins and other collectibles by a former Republican fundraiser.