LINCOLN- A former employee of the pork production company owned by gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen has alleged in a lawsuit that he was fired for refusing to participate in hiring workers without proper citizenship documents and falsifying documents so workers could avoid taxes. Luis Lucar filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Pillen Family Farms Inc., alleging he lost his job because he wouldn’t participate in company practices he claimed were illegal.

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, Lucar said he worked for Pillen Family Farms from 2012 until he was fired in 2019 for "inability to work with our team."

He alleged that he repeatedly complained and refused to participate in alleged illegal activities by the company, including hiring workers who lacked authorization to work in the U.S., changing names on government and company documents so workers could avoid paying taxes or child support payments, and misclassifying workers as "independent contractors" to avoid payment of taxes. Lucar also claimed that company executives failed to address his complaints about discriminatory conduct against some workers because of their immigration status or ethnicity. L

A representative of the Pillen campaign said Thursday that the candidate was aware of the lawsuit and would issue a statement in response.

Pillen is the founder of Pillen Family Farms and one of three Republicans, including State Senator Brett Lindstrom and businessman Charles Herbster, who have announced their candidacies for governor in 2022. Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts is term limited and cannot run for a third term.

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