Green v. USAGMFiled: April 7, 2026
Former VOA employees challenge voluntary separation agreements
The ex-staffers file a class action case with the Merit Systems Protection Board.
By Sonya Laurence Green, Kane Farabaugh, Amy Katz, and Ajdin Muratovic
Published
A group of former Voice of America (VOA) employees has filed a class action case before the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), challenging the legality of the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA), and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) offers made since March 5, 2025, through the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).
The complaint follows a recent U.S. District Court ruling by Judge Royce Lamberth finding that Kari Lake did not have the legal authority to take certain actions on behalf of USAGM. The plaintiffs argue that, as a result, the separation offers extended during that period are legally “voidable.”
The case seeks potential remedies including reinstatement and compensation for affected employees who choose to participate.
“Many of us made life-altering decisions under intense pressure and severe time constraints,” said Sonya Laurence Green, a lead plaintiff and former senior editor at VOA. “We were led to believe that widespread layoffs were imminent. People had to weigh how they would support their families, maintain health insurance, and, in some cases, whether they would be forced to relocate.”
Green added: “We now know, based on the court’s ruling, that the authority behind those actions was not what we believed it to be. This case is about giving employees the ability to revisit those decisions and seek a fair outcome.”
The plaintiffs say many VOA journalists accepted the offers amid fears of a Reduction in Force (RIF), as broader efforts were underway to rapidly downsize the federal workforce. They also note that affected employees include highly specialized journalists who have dedicated their careers to VOA’s mission of delivering independent, fact-based news to global audiences, often in regions with limited access to reliable information.
“For decades, VOA journalists have served audiences around the world with objective, unbiased reporting in dozens of languages including English,” said Kane Farabaugh, an award-winning former VOA correspondent. “This case is not only about the impact on employees, but also about preserving the value of VOA’s work and the experienced professionals who carried out that mission.”
The plaintiffs are represented by Gilbert Employment Law.
“We were led to believe that widespread layoffs were imminent. People had to weigh how they would support their families, maintain health insurance, and, in some cases, whether they would be forced to relocate.”
— Sonya Laurence Green, a lead plaintiff and former senior editor at VOA