A plaintiff who filed suit against Fluor-led Savannah River Nuclear Solutions in February, claiming the Department of Energy contractor forced him into premature retirement from the site’s fire department, threw in the towel last week, saying in a U.S. District Court filing the chances of victory are too slim without a lawyer.
“It is nearly impossible for me to go against a large corporation with funding and resources,” Dave Hoang said in a Thursday letter voluntarily dismissing his claim against Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the management contractor for DOE’s Savannah River Site.
“I understand South Carolina law allows me to represent myself,” Hoang said, but added the civil court rules are “quite complicated.” The plaintiff, who speaks English as a second language, said he would face long odds against the law firm retained by the contractor, according to the document.
“I have decided to take my loss and move on with my life to avoid any additional humiliation,” Hoang wrote.
In his February complaint, Hoang said he “resigned in protest” from the fire department at Savannah River June 30, 2020 after being passed over in favor of a less-qualified applicant for a manager job for the department.
When Hoang, now age 63, was interviewed, the plaintiff claims he was asked by the SRNS interview panel, “why at your age do you want to have the [management] job.” Hoang said his SRNS salary was $132,000 and is now living on a fixed income pension.
