Suit Claims Fluor Fired Auditor in Retaliation

A former senior internal auditor at Fluor Corp. has accused the Aliso Viejo-based company of firing him in retaliation for objecting to what he called “improper and illegal” accounting methods that overstated 2001 net income by at least $16 million.

Milton States, a four-year employee who was fired in September 2002, made the allegations in a lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court on Sept. 5 against the company and two of his former supervisors.

Fluor said in a statement that it “vigorously disputes” the allegations.

“Mr. States’ claims are completely unfounded and without merit,” the engineering firm said.

-- Elizabeth Douglass