A former coordinator of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette New Iberia Research Center has filed a lawsuit against the university, claiming she was fired for voicing concerns about animal cruelty at the facility.

Narriman Fakier accuses the university of wrongful termination, retaliatory discharge, violation of free speech rights and violation of whistleblower statutes. She is seeking unspecified damages.

According to the lawsuit, Fakier "repeatedly blew the whistle" about perceived violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act at the facility. She claims she was forced to resign due to the concerns in February of 2004.

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One of the concerns involved an employee who deliberately burned the hands of several chimpanzees with a lighter and threw a bucket of scalding water on another. Fakier also claims several monkeys housed in outdoor cages died after suffering "severe physical damage," from exposure to cold weather during the winter of 2002.

Fakier also objected to methods used to anesthetize chimpanzees. She said chimps were anesthetized in a group, rather than individually, a violation of the Animal Welfare Act.

"This invariably resulted in the chimpanzees screaming and running around the cage in fear as the NIRC employees attempted to 'dart' them with anesthesia," the lawsuit states. "During these group anesthesias, NIRC would also hose water to 'corner' a chimpanzee they had been unable to dart."

When Fakier voiced her concerns to NIRC officials, they were ignored, according to the lawsuit. She later reported the incidents to the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Health's Office of Laboratory Welfare. The USDA has instituted an official investigation into the claims, according to the lawsuit.

Fakier claims NIRC officials forced her to resign in February of 2004. Her letter of termination cited poor judgment, failure to follow proper chain of command, failure to comply with counseling, threatening the security of the NIRC and insubordination as her reasons for termination.

The lawsuit states that federal regulations forbid animal research facilities from retaliating against employees who report violations of the Animal Welfare Act. It states that the NIRC violated her right to free speech by terminating her.

New Iberia Research Center Director Thomas Rowell said he had not seen the lawsuit, and declined to comment. University of Louisiana at Lafayette President Dr. Ray Authement did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

The 100-acre research center, located near Acadiana Regional Airport, employs more than 250 people. More than 6,000 primates are housed at the facility, including more than 300 chimpanzees.