By Steve Kardell | Published January 31, 2023 | Posted in Employee Rights | Tagged Tags: ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act, anxiety disorder, FMLA |
Healthcare Facility Who Fired Worker for Anxiety Disorder Violated the ADA
Recently, a Nashville healthcare and rehabilitation facility was found to have violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), after firing her for her anxiety disorder. A jury awarded the worker $6,000 in compensatory damages. Case background The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a complaint against the facility in January 2018, alleging that the facility Read More
Read MoreFindings From the 2022 SEC Whistleblower Program Report
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) just released their Whistleblower Program report for the 2022 fiscal year. The Whistleblower Program incentivizes whistleblowers to report wrongdoing. The findings reveal that the program has been more successful than ever. Here’s an overview of the 2022 findings. Over $6.3 billion in sanctions and $1.3 billion in awards The Read More
Read MoreNurses and Whistleblower Protections
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of nurses and other healthcare professionals in a whole new way. Nurses are on the “front lines” of healthcare, often the first people to notice and report a problem. What happens when you speak up, and your employer retaliates? Fortunately, whistleblower laws exist to protect nurses from retaliation from Read More
Read MoreSelf-Reporting Companies Can Lower Fines by Incentivizing Whistleblowers
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) runs a whistleblower rewards program, which has encouraged over 50,000 tips in the last decade. This has resulted in collecting nearly $5 billion in fines and penalties from public companies. However, companies can reduce their fines by incentivizing whistleblowers to report violations internally. Instead of waiting for the SEC Read More
Read MoreDoes Your Severance Agreement Include Discriminatory Practices?
If you’re getting ready to reduce your workforce, or have recently been laid off, it’s time to have a lawyer review your severance agreement. Many employers provide severance to laid off employees, often in exchange for agreeing not to bring certain claims against the employer. State laws and severance agreements Depending on the laws in Read More
Read MoreFourth Circuit Reminds Employers that Non-Employees May Cause a Hostile Work Environment
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently reminded employers that non-employees can cause a hostile work environment. Employers are responsible for ensuring that neither employees nor non-employees subject an employee to harassment. Case background In Chapman v. Oakland Living Center, Inc., the plaintiff sued her employer for allowing the employer’s six-year-old grandson Read More
Read MoreTelehealth Services Increased Medicare Fraud
The COVID-19 pandemic made telehealth essential. With shutdowns across the country, people still needed medical care, and telehealth came to the rescue. The number of “virtual” physicians increased from zero to thousands overnight. Unfortunately, telehealth makes it easier to commit fraud. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) encountered more schemes, which cost taxpayers Read More
Read MorePharma Giant Whistleblower Files Lawsuit Alleging ‘Unlawful Retaliation’
Three years ago, Amrit Mula was a top human resources officer at Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical giant in New Jersey. Now, she’s filing an unlawful retaliation lawsuit in New Jersey federal court, after the company fired her following an internal report about manufacturing shortcomings. Case background Mula noticed employees failed to comply with FDA-mandated manufacturing Read More
Read MoreWhistleblower and Fraud Facts: Are There Windfalls?
Despite claims by offending companies, whistleblowers aren’t getting rich by reporting their employers. If anything, they suffer steep consequences and often wait years before receiving compensation. Here are the facts about whistleblowers and these cases. No consideration for inflation There is little growth in the average whistleblower payment. According to available data, from 1987 through Read More
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