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Court Rules that Whistleblowers Should Get More for Exposing Tax Evasion
A judge on the country’s highest tax court has ruled that whistleblowers who expose tax cheats to the U.S. government are entitled to receive more of the money recovered in these cases. Through a 10-year-old federal program, whistleblowers who report tax evaders may stand to receive between 15 to 30 percent of the total amount […]
Whistleblower Retaliation a Big Problem at Hanford Cleanup Site
In eastern Washington state, crews have been working on one of the most intensive and costly environmental cleanups in the U.S. history, addressing the site of a former nuclear production complex. This past summer, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a workers’ union and a watchdog group filed a motion asking a judge to force the […]
OSC Reports More Favorable Actions for Whistleblowers
A report from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) indicates that 2015 was a record year in terms of favorable actions for whistleblowers, including corrective actions, stays, disciplinary procedures and changes to organizational practices. Officials with the OSC say they have received a notable uptick of retaliation complaints to the agency. These have come […]
Whistleblowers Urge Judge to Reconsider Dismissal of Claim Against CCS Medical
Three whistleblowers have asked a federal judge in Massachusetts to reconsider her dismal of a False Claims Act case in which a large medical supplier was accused of converting customers to another company in exchange for discounts and other benefits. The whistleblowers who exposed the problem said that the arrangement between CCS Medical and Coloplast […]
Pittsburgh Hospital Settles Medicare False Claims Lawsuit for $2.5 Million
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UMPC) and three of its associated providers have settled a case in which they were accused of submitting false claims to the federal Medicare program. The defendants admitted no fault as part of the settlement, which was for $2.5 million. According to court documents, surgeons at UMPC and its […]
National Whistleblower Appreciation Day Promotes an Important Issue
This year, the National Whistleblower Center declared July 30 to be National Whistleblower Appreciation Day. The organization received a great deal of support on its Facebook page when it made the announcement, although some did note that whistleblowers continue to face challenges across the country. Overall, the past several years have seen some big wins […]
Recent Case Highlights Importance of Retaining Legal Counsel During Internal Investigations
If a business or organization becomes aware of potential wrongdoing by one of its employees, it should conduct a thorough internal investigation to get to the bottom of the issue. During this process, the company’s attorneys and investigators may interview workers, collect documentation and gather various other forms of data and information related to the […]
Panama Papers Leak Exposes How Saipem Used Shell Companies
The law firm that was the center of the “Panama Papers” leak earlier this year may have been involved in a multimillion-dollar corruption scheme tied to contracts from Algeria energy company Sonatrach — contracts that a firm called Saipem received. According to a report from the Internal Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), the law firm […]
CFTC Awards $50,000 to Whistleblower in July
This past summer, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) awarded $50,000 to a whistleblower for information provided to the agency. This was the fourth award CFTC has paid out through its whistleblower program, which was created as part of the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010. It was also the second awarded so far in 2016. […]
Are FMLA Leave Requests Also ADA Reasonable Accommodation Requests?
Through the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), most employers in the United States are required to provide protected and unpaid leave for certain medical and family reasons, such as the birth of a child or a serious illness. Some legal experts, however, are questioning if the FMLA protections are essentially the same as those provided […]
