Suit: Background check error ruined woman's reputation
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - A Minnesota mother claims a background check mistake that labelled her a killer ruined her reputation, reports CBS Minnesota.
Now, Lorie Wosmek is hoping a lawsuit will clear her name.
The trouble started for Wosmek after she had spent years volunteering in the Remer School District. She told the station she spent years volunteering in her two sons' classrooms, and even coached one of their football teams.
"They called me constantly to help out," Wosmek said.
But, she said, things changed in the fall of 2012 after she submitted to a background check.
"Parents acted strange," she told CBS Minnesota. "People who said 'hi' to me before wouldn't say 'hi' anymore."
She was ultimately told she was no longer an approved volunteer. A letter later sent to her from the school district with a copy of her background check would explain why.
"All I saw on there was homicide," she said. "I burst into tears."
The background check wrongly reflected that Wosmek had committed vehicular homicide, the station reported.
She says the company not only got it wrong but that district employees spread the information for five months. It's an accusation the school district denies.
Wosmek is suing the district and the background check company that made the mistake, according to CBS Minnesota.
She says she hasn't been welcomed back as a volunteer since, and the damage to her reputation has already been done. In court filings, the district denies not welcoming Wosmek back as a volunteer.
"When people hear good news like 'she didn't commit the crime,' they don't tend to spread that around," Wosmek said.
The McDowell Agency of St. Paul performed Wosmek's background check, according to the station. In court filings, the company reportedly admits their assertion of a vehicular homicide conviction was a mistake.
In a statement obtained by CBS Minnesota, a spokesperson said, "We believe the evidence will support our position that Ms. Wosmek's reputation was not impacted or harmed by anything we did."
The station says the Remer School District no longer uses The McDowell Agency to perform background checks.