Monthly Archives: July 2016
Illinois Company to Pay Out Nearly $200,000 in Whistleblower Penalties
According to federal safety officials, a company in Illinois must pay $190,547 in damages and back wages to a safety manager as the result of a whistleblower case that stemmed from its facility in Lansing, Illinois. The order came from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). After an investigation, commercial […]
Employee at Regional Jail Files Retaliation Lawsuit
A former sergeant at the Southern Regional Jail near Charleston, West Virginia has filed a lawsuit against the state’s Regional Jail Authority, alleging employer retaliation. The man, Jason Hefner, says he was forced into resignation after reporting corruption within the jail system. According to the lawsuit, Hefner discovered the corruption after he conducted an investigation […]
SEC Hands Out $5 Million Award to Whistleblower
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced in mid-May that it will award a whistleblower $5 million to $6 million for the person’s assistance in a recent investigation. The whistleblower was a former company insider who provided a detailed, unique tip that led the SEC to uncover significant securities violations it never would have […]
Two People to Share $450,000 Whistleblower Award from SEC
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will hand out a total of $450,000 split between two individuals who tipped off the agency to an incident of corporate wrongdoing and provided valuable assistance in the ensuing investigation. This was the third whistleblower award the SEC handed out within a single week span, with the total […]
IG Confirms Sexual Assault Whistleblower Suffered Retaliation
A new report from the Inspector General of the United States Department of Defense confirms allegations of retaliation against an officer in the West Virginia National Guard after her sexual assault. Lt. Col. Teresa James reported in 2012 that she had been raped by a superior officer. After she reported the incident, Army Brig. Gen. […]
Colorado Prison Whistleblower Awarded $280,000
A former employee of the Colorado Department of Corrections was awarded $280,000 in a settlement after filing a whistleblower complaint accusing officials in state prisons of fudging figures about mentally ill and/or violent convicts. The whistleblower is Maureen O’Keefe, the former director of the Colorado DOC’s Office of Planning and Analysis. In her complaint, she […]
New Report Indicates Increasing SEC Actions Against Businesses
A new report published by the NYU Pllack Center for Law & Business and Cornerstone Research indicates that the number of actions the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has brought against public companies and their subsidiaries has increased recently. According to the report, the SEC brought 84 different actions against public entities and their subsidiaries […]
Best Practices for Whistleblower Hotline Reporting
There are currently more whistleblower protections than ever before in the United States, making it absolutely necessary for public agencies and private companies to have processes in place for whistleblowers to make their reports. One such avenue is a phone hotline, which can help to quickly pinpoint organizational misconduct and be a starting point for […]
