Navex Global, a company which brands itself as "the ethics and compliance experts," is being fined by a local government agency for unethical behavior that fails to comply with state standards.

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries is set to issue close to $150,000 in penalties for firing former employee Sharae Epperheimer after she traveled to California to respond to a summons for jury duty. According to the state investigators, Epperheimer had maintained her residency in California as a condition of her previous enrollment at Western Oregon University.

Since Epperheimer had no previously documented performance issues in her file, and Los Angeles County refused to honor her numerous requests to be excused, the bureau concluded that her firing was in violation of Oregon laws requiring employers to grant time off for jury service. The proposed penalty accounted for Epperheimer's lost wages as well as for emotional distress.

A contact from Navex Global refused to comment on the specific case, but denied that their policies would ever support such a decision.

Potential Preaching Angles: Even experts sometimes fail to practice what they preach, we are held accountable in the same manner we hold others.