Lawsuit claims the president of a law firm targeted pro-Trump employees for termination

A lawsuit alleges that following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot the president of the Kain & Scott law firm targeted for termination employees he thought had made pro-Trump social media posts.

Citing the legal complaint, the Star Tribune reported that Wesley Scott fired two workers and then proceeded to fire three law partners who said that his behavior breached Minnesota law. William Kain, Margaret Henehan and Kelsey Quarberg, the three ousted partners, are suing for wrongful termination.

According to the suit, the trio alleges that Scott accused them of plotting a "coup" against him.

The complaint says that in an April email to firm lawyers Scott stated that the "traitors on Jan. 6" should have been shot, according to the outlet. 

Scott allegedly instructed the firm's operations manager to terminate two workers he deemed "racist" due to pro-Trump and pro-police content posted on their social media accounts. The Star Tribune reported that according to the complaint, Scott terminated the operations manager when she declined to cut those employees loose, and he then terminated another employee and threatened to terminate another.

The outlet said that according to court documents the ousted partners told Scott that terminating a worker over their political views violates state law, but then Scott terminated the trio and contacted St. Cloud police to remove Quarberg, alleging that she was both trespassing and physically threatening him.  

The complaint says that Scott told other employees that the ousted partners had been terminated due to insubordination, and that he denigrated them during an online meeting with firm staff. "We have three employees … who are way over the top violating everything that is dear to us and I won't let it happen," Scott said, according to the complaint.

The outlet noted that it is alleged in the suit that in the wake of their ouster Scott has sought to block the partners from collecting unemployment and health care benefits.

The three terminated partners collectively own half of the firm while Scott owns the remaining half, the Star Tribune noted. The ousted partners negotiated a buyout in connection with the firm's partnership agreement, but Scott reneged after initially agreeing, according to the suit.

The ousted partners are pursuing several remedies, including back pay and benefits and an order to dissolve the firm and provide payment for their shares under the buyout, which they claim was negotiated.