Interesting case involving organ donation

LI mom fired after donating kidney to her boss: suit

Quote:

A “kind and generous’’ Long Island mom donated a kidney to save the life of her boss — who then turned around after she got what she wanted and helped fire the poor woman, according to an explosive new legal complaint. ... Stevens said she did not realize that she was in for serious pain, discomfort in her legs and digestive problems after the surgery on Aug. 10, 2011. She said she felt pressured to return to work Sept. 6, before she was ready — even while her boss was still recovering at home. When Stevens went home sick three days after her return, she said, Brucia actually called her from home to berate her. “She . . . said, ‘What are you doing? Why aren’t you at work?’ I told her I didn’t feel good,’’ Stevens told The Post. “She said, ‘You can’t come and go as you please. People are going to think you’re getting special treatment.’ ” After Brucia returned to work, she’d yell at Stevens in front of co-workers over alleged mistakes, Stevens said.

I don't really know whether the firing here was justified or not, but it seems like the woman believed that she was owed something for donating the kidney. However, I believe it is not legal to buy or sell an organ (maybe a lawyer knows better about that). Is it reasonable to expect some other sort of special treatment from her employer? Then again, what if her health problems were real and resulted directly from donating the kidney?



I also have a hypothetical question: suppose it came to light after a successful transplant that a donee gave money to the donor (after it was all over, say). Would that be a crime? And would they actually arrest the people involved?