By Steve Kardell | Published February 9, 2023 | Posted in Graft and Corruption, Whistleblower Litigation, Wrongful Termination | Tagged Tags: employer wrongdoing, government corruption, wrongful termination lawsuit | Comments Off on The City of Shreveport Is Facing a Whistleblower Lawsuit
The City of Shreveport Is Facing a Whistleblower Lawsuit
The city of Shreveport, Louisiana is facing a whistleblower lawsuit. Former City of Shreveport Controller Ben Hebert filed an action against the city for wrongful termination, claiming it happened because he refused to violate state and city laws. Case background Ben Hebert was a City of Shreveport Controller in 2021. He claims that he was Read More
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Whistleblower Nets $20 Million from the SEC
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has a Whistleblower Program, which encourages insiders to provide tips regarding wrongdoing. Qualified whistleblowers may receive anywhere from ten to 30 percent of the sanctions collected from successful enforcement actions as a result of their disclosure. The rest is returned to harmed investors or the U.S. Treasury. Last November, Read More
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Healthcare Kickback Scheme Whistleblower Leads to $45 Million Settlement
The former Vice President of Product Management at Modernizing Medicine, Inc., has led to a $45 million settlement for a healthcare kickback scheme. Amanda Long filed a whistleblower action in 2017, which was amended in May 2021. The company was found to have created a healthcare kickback scheme that violated the False Claims Act. Case Read More
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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
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Findings 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
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Nurses 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
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Self-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
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Does 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
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Fourth 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
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Telehealth 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
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