By Steve Kardell | Published June 25, 2018 | Posted in Whistleblower Litigation | Tagged Tags: Corporate Whistleblowers, whistleblower protection |
A February U.S. Supreme Court decision significantly limited the protections available for corporate whistleblowers. The court ruled in the case of Digital Realty Trust v. Somers that corporate whistleblowers are not protected from termination unless they reported possible instances of fraud to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The case is a big blow for Read More
Read MoreWhistleblower lawsuits are on the rise across the board as would-be whistleblowers have been emboldened by more federal protections and increasingly valuable awards. A new field has suddenly jumped to the forefront in the world of whistleblower law: customs fraud. A 2016 decision by a federal appeals court in the case of United States ex. Read More
Read MoreA lawsuit filed against Epic Systems, a digital health care records company based in Verona, Wisconsin, alleges the company systematically overbilled the government for Medicare and Medicaid. The lawsuit was initially filed under the False Claims Act (FCA) in 2015 by Geraldine Petrowski, a former employee for a health care company in North Carolina. Under Read More
Read MoreIn just the latest example of local municipalities following the lead of state and federal governments in taking whistleblower protections more seriously, Napa County in California is looking to start its own whistleblower program to combat fraud and waste in county government. After establishing a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the county determined that without a Read More
Read MoreCenterlight Health System, Inc., a New York-based healthcare provider primarily serving elderly and disabled Medicaid patients, reached a new $10.3 million settlement in a case with state and federal elements over long-term care payments made to residents of adult homes, even if they were not eligible for coverage. Centerlight will pay this amount in addition Read More
Read MoreOver the last several years, we have seen the number of whistleblowers reporting internal wrongdoing dramatically increase. However, a new survey from the Ethics and Compliance Initiative (ECI) also indicates that incidents of whistleblower retaliation across the United States are also on the rise. ECI surveyed more than 5,000 employees in late 2017 as part Read More
Read MoreA sergeant in a sheriff’s department in northwest Oregon who alerted authorities to the poor performance of a detective in the department filed a $1.6 million lawsuit alleging supervisors in the department created a hostile work environment after he reported his concerns. The officer, Sgt. Matt Swanson, filed the lawsuit in early April in Oregon Read More
Read MoreThe U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced a new whistleblower award of more than $2.2 million, the first award from the agency to be paid out under the “safe harbor” rule. In the case, a former insider of a company took action in compliance with Exchange Act Rule 21F-4(b)(7). It indicates that if Read More
Read MoreA woman in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, claims her supervisors at Med Health Services Inc. in Monroeville illegally retaliated against her after she raised concerns about illegal activity in the workplace to federal authorities. In documents filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, Belvia Levkus claims her supervisors harassed and ultimately filed her after discovering she Read More
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Labor filed a lawsuit against a hair salon in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, claiming the business owners terminated an employee because her husband reported workplace safety and health issues to the federal government. According to prosecutors, employees of Blown Away Dry Bar and Salon were exposed to chemicals and sewage after a Read More
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