Monthly Archives: August 2015
Congress Considers More Whistleblower Protections for Oil Industry
Several lawmakers in Congress are proposing a bill to expand whistleblower protections for those in the oil industry working on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). These workers are playing key roles in oil and gas exploration, production, drilling and spill cleanup. The bill, called the Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Whistleblower Protection Act of 2015, […]
Whistleblower Lawsuit Against Trinity Results in $663 Million Verdict
A Texas federal judge issued a $663 million verdict against Trinity Industries Inc. following a jury’s decision that the company was guilty of committing fraud against the U.S. government by knowingly selling it unsafe guardrails. The judge tripled a previous $175 million verdict and assessed more than $138 million in penalties. Whistleblower Joshua Harman received […]
Whistleblower Sues NJ Firm for Alleged Unethical Billing Practices
A lawsuit was filed June 12 against Einhorn Harris Ascher Barbarito & Frost PC for allegedly firing a former legal secretary for issuing a complaint about misconduct she believed was taking place at the New Jersey law firm. In the complaint, whistleblower Cynthia Reeves accused Einhorn Harris of incorrect billing practices and priorities which placed […]
$7.5 Million Settlement Reached in Whistleblower Lawsuit Alleging False Medical Records
Orbit Medical Inc. and Rehab Medical Inc. have agreed to pay a $7.5 million settlement at the close of a five-year whistleblower lawsuit. Two former employees of the companies filed the claim, and they alleged that Orbit’s top executives instructed its sales staff to create false medical records to unlawfully bill Medicare for electric wheelchairs. […]
Whistleblower Lawsuit Against Major Food Vendor Settles for $19 Million
The largest food vendor in Washington, D.C. will pay $19 million as a result of a whistleblower lawsuit claiming the company poorly managed and overcharged for public school meals. The lawsuit was filed against Chartwells and Thompson Hospitality, which had been providing meals for the schools since 2008. The suit claimed that in addition to […]
SEC Calls Itself Advocate of the Whistleblower
The U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) has continued to prove that it will support the whistleblower bounty program. Since the program’s creation in 2011, the agency’s Office of the Whistleblower has awarded more than $50 million to whistleblowers and continues to protect individuals who come forward to report fraudulent activity. SEC Chair Mary Jo White […]
Whistleblower Football Coach Files Suit Against High School
High school football coach Matt Strout has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against his former employer, Broward County Public Schools in south Florida. Strout alleges that following a complaint he issued against Miramar High School, he was fired from his position as a substitute teacher and football coach. Strout’s formal complaint detailed violations of the high […]
Whistleblower Alleges Discrimination, Claims Morbid Obesity is Legal Disability
The Eighth Circuit may reopen the 2013 case of a Kansas man who alleges the BNSF Railway Co. revoked his job offer because he was obese. The man, Melvin A. Morriss III, asserts that per the Americans with Disabilities Act, morbid obesity is a disability and that BNSF’s action was discrimination. Morriss claims his obesity […]
Department of Justice Intervenes in False Claims Act Case Separation
The U.S. Department of Justice has entered an Alabama False Claims Act trial in an effort to advise against a hospice chain’s request to divide its upcoming trial into two separate phases. The chain, AseraCare Inc., was granted a division of its trial by a district judge, but the DOJ officials believe the separation of […]
