By Steve Kardell | Published February 24, 2022 | Posted in Employee Rights, Wrongful Termination | Tagged Tags: racketeering, sexual harassment, termination was retaliation |
The attorneys for former associate athletic director Sharon Lewis of Louisiana State University (LSU) claim her firing was a result of retaliation. Lewis had previously filed a $50 million federal racketeering lawsuit against the university over Title IX violations against LSU football players, coaches and officials. She was fired on January 5, and attorneys say Read More
Read MoreThe Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Whistleblower Program had a banner year in 2021, with its record-setting $200 million whistleblower award serving as the headline for the year. There were plenty of other noteworthy awards issued that year, though, all of which demonstrated the agency’s commitment to protecting and rewarding whistleblowers who provide original, high-quality Read More
Read MoreHayat Pharmacy, which operates 23 pharmacy locations throughout the Milwaukee metropolitan area, will pay more than $2 million to resolve allegations it submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for various prescription medications. In addition to paying $2 million to resolve the claims, the pharmacy chain will also conduct training concerning fraud, waste and abuse, Read More
Read MoreJanuary was a busy month for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. According to the agency, it issued 11 whistleblower awards in the first month of 2022. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the first whistleblower awards issued in the SEC’s whistleblower program in 2012. Since the program was founded it has awarded $1.2 Read More
Read MoreOn January 10, 2022, the Sixth Circuit ruled the statute of limitations period for False Claims Act whistleblower retaliation cases begins when the whistleblower is first notified of the adverse retaliatory action. This clarification came in the ruling of El-Khalil v. Oakwood Healthcare, Inc. Case background The plaintiff in the case, El-Khalil, witnessed employees of Read More
Read MoreArthrex Inc., an orthopedic device company based in Florida, agreed to pay $16 million to settle claims it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) in illegally paying kickbacks to a physician so that physician would use and recommend its products. The allegations in the case were originally brought forth by a whistleblower under the FCA’s Read More
Read MoreThe United States Department of Labor will investigate allegations that Apple retaliated against an employee who blew the whistle on company wrongdoing. The whistleblower is Ashley Gjovik, a former senior engineering program manager. Gjovik had originally complained she was subjected to frequent harassment and unsafe working conditions while she worked for Apple. Case background Apple Read More
Read MoreThere is an increasing number of options for whistleblowers to submit information to the federal government and share in recovery money. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently joined organizations like the SEC and CFTC when it issued its first whistleblower award. The administration gave out more than $24 million to a whistleblower who Read More
Read MoreThe U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) recently released a Notice of Covered Action (NCA) regarding enforcement actions being taken against Easterday Ranches, located in Washington. In December, the government ordered Easterday Ranches to pay $263 million in restitution penalties associated with a fraudulent cattle scheme. Whistleblowers can now submit award applications to the CFTC Read More
Read MoreMcDonald’s must pay $33.5 million to a black man who owns multiple franchises of the fast food restaurant to settle a lawsuit he filed against the company in which he alleged racial discrimination. Herb Washington, a former baseball player, owned more than a dozen McDonald’s franchises across Ohio and Pennsylvania. Case background In February 2021, Read More
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