By Steve Kardell | Published July 30, 2020 | Posted in Employee Rights, Whistleblower Litigation | Tagged Tags: covid, covid-19, workplace safety |
Employees Take Legal Action Against Smithfield Foods, Alleging Negligence During Pandemic
Meat packing plants across the nation have been in the news throughout the spring for the challenges they’ve faced in staying operational while also keeping their employees safe from the COVID-19 pandemic. One of these plants, Smithfield Foods in Milan, Missouri, is now the subject of a lawsuit filed by an employee who alleges the Read More
Read MoreEmployers Now Have Expanded Whistleblower Liability Under OSHA Rules
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently announced some changes to its whistleblower system that will result in employers having greater liability in whistleblower cases. OSHA has had a massive increase in the number of whistleblower complaints filed in recent years, and it is expected this number will only continue to grow. The number Read More
Read MoreFlorida Attorney General Goes After Third-Party Vendors for Gouging Prices on Amazon
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced subpoenas issued to 43 third-party vendors in the state that are alleged to have gouged prices of essential items on Amazon.com to take advantage of greater demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state announced it would coordinate with Amazon itself to ensure proper price enforcement. The vendors were accused Read More
Read MoreAmazon Worker Fired After Leading Protest Against Poor Working Conditions
Chris Smalls, an assistant warehouse manager for Amazon, was recently fired after organizing a walking protest over working conditions at the company’s facility on Staten Island. The incident quickly made national news and has drawn harsh criticism for the massive online retailer, including from Mayor Bill de Blasio, and the New York attorney general. Case Read More
Read MoreChicago Nurse Claims She Was Fired for Warning About COVID-19 Mask Inadequacies
A nurse in Chicago is claiming wrongful termination after she warned colleagues the masks they were given by Northwestern Memorial Hospital were insufficient protection against the COVID-19 virus. The nurse, Lauri Mazurkiewicz, says she emailed colleagues and supervisors the day before she was terminated, saying N95 face masks are safer than the masks that the Read More
Read MoreMonetary Rewards Make Good Incentive for Whistleblowers, but Aren’t the Only Reason They Report Wrongdoing
Over the last decade, a variety of programs have started up in federal agencies that incentivize whistleblowers to come forward with tips about wrongdoing within their companies or organizations, and potentially share in the money recovered through sanctions. The most well-known of these programs is the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) whistleblower program, but several Read More
Read MoreSEC Issues $1.6 Million Whistleblower Award
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently announced a $1.6 million award to a whistleblower who provided information that helped form the basis for charges that led to a successful enforcement action. According to the information provided by the SEC, the information submitted by the whistleblower prompted investigators in the Department of Enforcement to look Read More
Read MoreWhistleblower Receives More than $760,000 in Retaliation Lawsuit
Coloplast, a Minneapolis-based medical device provider, agreed to pay more than $760,000 to Amy Lestage, who claimed the company retaliated against her after she blew the whistle on company wrongdoing. Lestage, along with two other former employees of Coloplast, filed a False Claims Act case in December 2011. Defendants included Byram Healthcare and other large Read More
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