RANGELEY – A Minot man filed a human rights violation civil suit this month against Saddleback Inc. in Rangeley and a Farmington-based electrical company.

Backed by the Maine Human Rights Commission, Robert Duggan filed the civil complaint in Androscoggin Superior Court alleging the two companies violated his civil rights by firing him because he “blew the whistle” on some company wrongdoings.

The case was brought before the Maine Human Rights Commission in September. The commission reviews possible human rights violations and either upholds them as reasonable complaints or denies them, but cannot prosecute alleged offenders.

At a September meeting, the commission found reasonable grounds to believe the companies discriminated against Duggan.

Duggan was working at Saddleback for Farmington-based Integrity Electrical Installation and Service Inc. as a master electrician during the fall of 2004. He claims he was fired after alerting the state electrical inspector that Saddleback was taking illegal shortcuts in its electrical installation.

Saddleback and Integrity denied the claims.

“We completely deny his charges,” Saddleback attorney Stephen Langsdorf said Monday. Saddleback wasn’t even employing Duggan, Langsdorf said, which means it can’t be sued for discrimination under the Whistleblower Protection Act.

The problems Duggan brought up with the state inspector were already being dealt with before he was hired, Integrity Electric owner Mike Carleton said Monday. The inspector had come to Saddleback twice, and was working on the problem.

“The problem with Bob was he wanted everything to be stopped right then,” Carleton said.

Duggan, whom Carleton calls one of the best electricians he’s ever worked with and a very good guy, got overwrought at work and made trouble on the job, he said. He argued with Saddleback employees and made rude comments about them at a local bar after work, Carleton said.

Carleton said he then asked Duggan to go home, with pay, and offered him jobs on two different sites. “He refused them,” Carleton said. “He’s a very good guy. I just think he was really upset. I guess he couldn’t wait for the state to address the issues.”

Both companies are being sued for damages resulting from the loss of job and income, emotional distress, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment of life, and other losses, according the complaint. For Carleton, just fighting it, let alone possibly having to pay up, is a hefty price for something he said he didn’t do.

“We’re a small company,” he said.

For Duggan, though, what was happening was a safety issue that needed immediate attention. In an industry where doing something wrong can lead to accidents involving high-voltage lines, you can’t cut corners, he said last month.