A U.S. Navy civilian whistleblower has been forced to return to the same command and directly report to a boss she is suing. Kathryn Denise Rucker Krepp recently requested a federal judge to stop service orders for her return to the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), citing alleged discrimination, harassment and retaliation by her superior, a senior official. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao is listed as the defendant as part of a lawsuit Krepp filed in July 2025. Krepp claims she was retaliated against not just for reporting a hostile workplace, but for her past roles and being an intermediary between the military and government. She was a material witness in Senate and House Oversight Committees, and Department of Homeland Security Inspector General, investigations of sexual misconduct in the U.S. Coast Guard known as “Operation Fouled Anchor." A July 28 motion for preliminary injunction filed by Krepp's attorney, Christopher Nuneviller, requested to stop the forced return of Krepp to NHHC, citing the circumstances and her lawsuit. However, Military.com learned that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied the injunction request, saying in part that Krepp didn't prove that working for the individual she is suing harms her, nor does it create a "chilling effect" on whistleblowers. On Monday, Aug. 3, Krepp was forced to report back to NHHC and work under an individual she sued. Military.com found that she was told she could keep the billet/title but not the work. She was instructed to write a book about the Washington Navy Yard, even though writing a book is not in her position description.