Category Archives: Whistleblower Litigation
MetroHealth Whistleblower Claims to Have Been Victim of Retaliation
The director of an internal audit at MetroHealth in Ohio recently claimed two of the organization’s vice presidents and one employee’s relative had received free Botox injections and various other services from the Pepper Pike Dermatology Clinic. The information was revealed in a lawsuit filed in December in Cuyahoga County. The findings of the report […]
SEC Hands Out $700,000 Award to Whistleblower
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has awarded a whistleblower with more than $700,000 after the whistleblower’s reports to the agency resulted in a successful enforcement action. Three other whistleblowers were denied awards, according to the SEC’s case order. This large sum was just the latest awarded handed out under the SEC’s whistleblower program, which […]
SEC Aims to Ensure Whistleblowers are Uninhibited
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has done a lot to increase the protections afforded to whistleblowers in the last several years. In 2015, the agency took several steps to further ensure whistleblowers are not prevented from coming forward and reporting incidents of wrongdoing within their organizations. Since the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act of […]
How Businesses Can Strengthen Compliance, Support Whistleblowers
It’s natural for employers to feel as if they are in a tough spot when it comes to protecting confidentiality related to whistleblower claims, as these actions inherently come from an employee’s ability to report wrongdoing to enforcement agencies. However, there are steps companies can take to strengthen compliance and support would-be whistleblowers. The Whistleblower […]
Whistleblower Lawsuit Proceeds Against Pennsylvania Turnpike
A former Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission manager filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the agency, alleging he was wrongfully terminated in 2008 after he reported various wasteful practices, politically motivated contracts and other alleged improprieties. The case was given the green light to proceed this fall. The former manager, Ralph Ballets, had worked for the PTC from […]
Kmart Pays $1.4 Million Settlement in Medicare Fraud Case
The Kmart Corporation has agreed to pay $1.4 million to settle allegations by the federal government that it violated the False Claims Act. The U.S. Department of Justice said Kmart was accused of inducing beneficiaries under Medicare to fill prescriptions at Kmart pharmacies. According to reports, Kmart let Medicare beneficiaries use coupons from drug manufacturers […]
First ACA Whistleblower Claim Resolved with $6.88 Million Settlement
In the first-ever healthcare fraud lawsuit resulting from whistleblower actions under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a provider of home medical care services to medically vulnerable children has agreed to pay a settlement worth $6.8 million. As a part of the settlement, the two whistleblowers who alerted authorities to the company’s wrongdoing split […]
SEC Clarifies Discrepancy in Whistleblower Definitions
An important milestone in U.S. whistleblower protections came last August when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) clarified some existing discrepancies in what constitutes “whistleblowers” and the protections afforded to them. There had previously been some questions as to whether whistleblowers were entitled to protection under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act […]
DC Circuit Rules Internal Investigation Documents Protected from Disclosure in FCA Cases
In a ruling that reversed the decision of a lower court, the D.C. Circuit recently determined that specific documents detailing internal audits are to be considered protected from disclosure under attorney-client privilege rules. The district court’s initial ruling had called for KBR, Inc. to produce various documents as evidence. The circuit court’s reversal, however, came […]
Why Do So Many Courts Have Differing Opinions on Whistleblower Protections Under Dodd-Frank?
The Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 contains a number of important rules regarding the protection of employees who blow the whistle on corporate wrongdoing. Numerous corporations have tried to strike down these rules by lobbying the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), but the federal agency realizes just how important it is to have comprehensive whistleblower protections […]
