By Steve Kardell | Published January 18, 2016 | Posted in Whistleblower Litigation | Tagged Tags: Dallas lawyers, National Labor Relations Board, T-Mobile US Inc., whistleblower | Leave a comment
Employees May Not Have to Keep Investigations Confidential After All
In many situations, businesses and organizations understandably want to keep a lid on the details of their internal investigations until the facts surrounding a case have been officially confirmed. There’s not much upside for allegations to be spread around the workplace or into the public realm. However, in a recent case, a judge from the Read More
Read MoreSEC Brings First-Ever Enforcement Action Regarding Employee Confidentiality Agreements
In April, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) initiated the very first enforcement action regarding employee confidentiality agreements against KBR, Inc., a technology and engineering company based in Houston, Texas. Certain pieces of language in KBR’s agreement signed by its employees caused the SEC to take an interest in the case. According to the SEC, Read More
Read MoreWhen Do Reports Not Constitute Whistleblower Actions?
Not all reports of internal wrongdoing are technically considered whistleblower actions. In 2013, the First Circuit Court established an important “job duties” exception related to the Maine Whistleblowers Protection Act. The exception states that employee’s reports are not considered whistleblowing if making such internal reports of wrongdoing is part of the employee’s job. Since the Read More
Read MoreSEC Offers More Guidance on How to Interpret Whistleblower Rules
In early August, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued some clarification on rules regarding internal whistleblower reporting. According to the agency, whistleblowers are to be protected under the Dodd-Frank Act when they report misconduct both internally and directly to the SEC. This is the first formal clarification the SEC has issued, and it clears Read More
Read MoreA Brief Overview of the New Dodd-Frank CEO Pay Ratio Disclosure Rules
On August 5, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officially approved what has been called the “CEO pay ratio disclosure rule” under the Dodd-Frank Act. This new rule will require the majority of publicly traded companies to openly disclose how much their CEOs make in relation to the median income of the company’s other employees. Read More
Read MoreNew OSHA Directive to Help Resolve Whistleblower Complaints Early
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a number of new procedures and policies August 19, outlining how a new process will be established to resolve whistleblower disputes more efficiently. The goal is to get whistleblower complaints resolved early on and to spend less time in court with each action. This process is being Read More
Read MoreHow Long Do Employers Have to Repay After a False Claims Act Violation?
According to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, anyone who receives an overpayment of Medicaid or Medicare funds report is required to pay back the amount of the overpayment within 60 days of when the problem was discovered and identified. The failure to repay is considered a violation of the False Claims Read More
Read MoreTexas Expands Handgun Rights Through 2016 and Beyond
The Texas legislature recently passed two bills related to handgun possession in the state. House Bill 910 makes it legal for people to carry handguns openly. Senate Bill 11 allows people who have handgun licenses to carry concealed handguns in some circumstances on college campuses across the Lone Star State. The following is a quick Read More
Read MoreHanford Whistleblower Case Comes to $4.1 Million Settlement
A former employee at a nuclear weapons cleanup project run by Hanford recently came to a $4.1 million settlement in a lawsuit alleging the company retaliated against him for speaking up about questionable safety practices. The employee and plaintiff in the case was Walter Tamosaitis, who had been a contractor at the Hanford site in Read More
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