Spring company accused of retaliation against whistleblower

A woman from The Woodlands is suing after, she says, her Spring employer ostracized her, slandered her and passed her over for promotions because she blew the whistle on improper bookkeeping processes.    Lois Raines filed a lawsuit on Aug. 14 in Harris County District Court against FMC Technologies, citing intentional infliction of emotional distress.    Raines says in January 2011, her employer, FMC Technologies, transferred her to a department called "the dungeon," where she worked on budgeting and planning projects. She says that while being trained for the job, another employee showed her how to falsify data, stating, "This is how we cook the books."    The suit alleges on May 6, 2011, Raines "unleashed the FMC hounds upon herself" when she informed a manager an employee had not been paid.    According to the brief, when other supervisors learned of her actions, they escorted her to the "huddle room" and allegedly berated her, telling her "what happens in their office stays in their office."   The lawsuit states the company then retaliated against Raines by launching several investigations into her work, instead of investigating her claims.   Raines is seeking attorney's fees, court costs and damages. She is being represented in the case by Houston attorney Daryl Sinkule.    Harris County District Court Case No. 2012-46440.    This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Harris County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.