Monthly Archives: December 2014
Former St. Petersburg VA Attorney Files Whistleblower Suit
Javier Soto was at one point a Ratings Benefits Services Representative for the St. Petersburg region office of the Department of Veterans Affairs. However, after he released a report that spoke to the “poor, inept and inaccurate” process of quality control for benefits claims at the VA, he was released from his duties. Now, […]
Study Shows Companies Face Larger Penalties When Whistleblowers Involved
A recently published study indicates that companies face much larger monetary penalties whenever a whistleblower is involved in enforcement actions against the company. In an average case, those companies paid penalties that were 63 percent higher with whistleblowers than in cases where there was no whistleblower. Data for the study came from information from the […]
Senators Present New Whistleblower Law for Auto Industry
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla) recently presented a new piece of legislation that will protect the rights of whistleblowers within the auto industry, and offer them the potential to be paid millions of dollars in rewards for particular types of cases. The new bill would give the secretary of transportation the […]
Whistleblower Takes Next Step in Lawsuit Against Philadelphia School District
Four years ago, Francis X. Dougherty was fired after revealing the existence of a $7.5 million no-bid security camera contract within the Philadelphia School District. Now, he has won a major victory in his whistleblower lawsuit against the district, with the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruling that he was exercising his first amendment […]
NLRB Reverses Precedent in Case Involving Employer Email
In a landmark ruling, the National Labor Relations Board determined that workers have the right to use their company email for non-business purposes. These purposes could include communicating about union events and organization. This ruling was a direct contradiction and reversal to the NLRB’s 2007 Register Guard ruling and even referenced that ruling, calling it […]
SEC Reports Amount of Whistleblower Tips, Awards Rose in 2014
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently released its annual report on its new whistleblower program, and according to that report, whistleblower tips and awards through the agency are on the rise. This year saw more than 3,500 tips from whistleblowers, the largest number the agency has received since beginning its whistleblower program three […]
UPS Changes Pregnant Worker Policy with Case Pending in Supreme Court
According to a memo recently sent out to all UPS employees, as of January 1, 2015 the company will offer its temporary light duty positions to pregnant workers as well as workers that have suffered injuries on the job. This comes as UPS gets ready to engage in a high-profile Supreme Court case, Young v. […]
11th Circuit Brings Back Part of Whistleblower Suit
According to the ruling of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a former health care executive that exposed a kickback and illegal referral scheme by his employer will be allowed to proceed with certain allegations listed in his False Claims Act lawsuit against his ex-employer. J. Michael Mastej, the whistleblower in this case, […]
Dignity Health Pays $37 Million after Alleged FCA Violations
Dignity Health recently agreed to pay approximately $37 million to the United States in a Fair Claims Act violation settlement. According to the allegations against Dignity Health, a hospital system based in San Francisco (and one of the five largest hospital systems in America), 13 of its hospitals throughout California, Arizona and Nevada were guilty […]
Four Whistleblowers Win Big in Case Against Boeing
Four whistleblowers will be awarded a sum of $3.9 million after reporting intentional overcharges made to the United States Air Force by airplane manufacturer Boeing. Boeing paid $23 million total in settlements after the allegations arose that the company defrauded taxpayers (who fund the Air Force budget) by deliberately charging too much money for maintenance […]
