Monthly Archives: March 2018
What Is It About Sexual Harassment Allegations that Ends Careers?
The #metoo movement that sprang to the forefront of the news cycle in the latter half of 2017 helped empower victims of sexual harassment to share their stories and seek justice and vindication. It also toppled the careers of many powerful and influential people in entertainment and media. Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, Kevin Spacey, Garrison […]
Accusations of Age Discrimination Against Verizon Arise in Relation to Facebook Job Ads
Verizon recently came under criticism with accusations of age discrimination in its Facebook marketing of job openings at the company. The advertisements used on Facebook intended to recruit applicants for financial planning and analysis positions. In the ad, a millennial aged woman sat at a computer, and copy promised applicants that the new hire would […]
Ninth Circuit Court Dismisses Challenge to Consumer Arbitration in AT&T Case
In the case of Roberts v. AT&T Mobility, the Ninth Circuit court made a quick dismissal of a First Amendment challenge to consumer arbitration, finding there was no state action in this circumstance. The plaintiffs in the case filed a class action lawsuit stating AT&T was guilty of falsely advertising its phone service as “unlimited,” […]
Whistleblowers Who File Late May Not Receive Awards
A pair of recent victories by defendants in False Claims Act lawsuits demonstrates the importance of speaking up quickly for whistleblowers who wish to share in fraud enforcement action recoveries. Two companies, PharMerica and Biotronik, both came out victorious in FCA lawsuits filed by whistleblowers that contained somewhat overlapping allegations with previously filed FCA lawsuits. […]
Tips for Creating a Company Culture that Discourages Sexual Harassment
The last year has seen countless powerful media and entertainment figures fall out of the limelight because of sexual harassment allegations. The #metoo conversation has made it necessary for employers to consider what they are doing internally to instill a company culture that discourages sexual harassment. Below are some of the ways organizations can create […]
Banning NDAs in Sexual Harassment Cases Could Harm Women
Throughout 2017, we saw victims of sexual harassment become more empowered than ever before to come forward and tell their stories. But while many Americans begin to speak out and share their experiences, many more are legally prevented from doing so. In most of these cases, the victims (who are, by and large, women) agree […]
Banc of California Whistleblower’s Salacious Allegations Made Public
According to a recently filed whistleblower lawsuit, Banc of California Inc., which is under investigation by federal regulators after being linked to a con man’s illegal activity, allegedly inflated its profits while ignoring a top executive in the corporation using company money to pay for strippers. According to the lawsuit, a decision by company management […]
Facebook’s Internal Harassment Policy Could Become Influential in the World of Business
In December, Facebook publicly released its internal company policy on harassment in the hopes that other companies would be able to learn from them. The idea, according to two executives of the corporation, is that if “more companies are open about their policies,” more will be able to learn from each other. In Facebook’s policy, […]
Wall Street, Pay Attention: Whistleblowers Will Reap $45 Million in CFTC Awards in 2018
In 2010, the Dodd-Frank Act created whistleblower programs under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). For the most part, it’s been the SEC’s program that has garnered headlines in these first eight years. However, experts believe the CFTC program is about to begin making headlines of its own. […]
