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U.S. Department of Labor Hands Down Final Ruling on SOX Whistleblower Processes
On March 5, the U.S. Department of Labor gave its Final Rule in a case dealing with the types of procedures that govern the handling of retaliation complaints under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX). The Final Rule indicates that all employees are allowed to submit both written and oral complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health […]
Is Asking Employees to Do a Small Amount of Work During FMLA Leave a Form of Interference?
There’s an interesting story that’s been in the news recently regarding what the limitations are for employers when their employees go on FMLA leave. The Family and Medical Leave Act allows employees who meet certain standards of eligibility to take 12 weeks of leave within a 12 month period for occasions like the birth and […]
Southwest Airlines Reaches Settlement in Whistleblower Lawsuit
A Southwest Airlines employee claims that he was retaliated against for uncovering and reporting two cracks while investigating the fuselage of a Boeing 737-700 during his regular maintenance checks. Now, Southwest has agreed to remove that discipline from the mechanic’s personal file and will pay him $35,000 in fees. The mechanic filed the lawsuit under […]
Florida Sheriff Could Face Whistleblower Claim
A number of employees in the Wakulla County Sherriff’s Office in Florida want Florida Governor Rick Scott to the county’s sheriff, Charlie Creel, on allegations of misconduct. Five whistleblowers came together to submit a letter to the governor, alleging various instances of wrongdoing performed by the sheriff. Among the allegations: Sheriff Creel knowingly allowed a […]
SEC Whistleblower Investigation Leads to Concern Over Protecting Confidential Information
A recent article from the Wall Street Journal indicates that the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) began a formal inquiry into whether corporations are setting up their confidentiality agreements in ways that prevent their employees from reporting violations of securities law to the SEC. This article is just the most recent report of significant concerns […]
Maine to Pay Out $142,500 to Settle Whistleblower Suit
The state Department of Health and Human Services in Maine will pay $142,500 to a former employee as a part of a settlement for a federal whistleblower suit. That employee is Sharon Leahy-Lind, who was at one time a division director under the employment of the Maine Center for Disease Control. She filed a lawsuit […]
OSHA Requests $39 Million in Additional Funding for 2016
According to the 2016 Fiscal Year budget proposals in the Department of Labor, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has requested an additional $39 million of funding for next year. The funding would help the agency to hire 90 additional members to its full-time staff, including 60 that would be dedicated to federal enforcement. […]
Fox Hollow Technologies Agrees to Settle False Claims Act Allegations
The United States Department of Justice recently announced that ev3 Inc., a company that recently acquired Fox Hollow Technologies, agreed to pay a $1.25 million penalty to settle accusations that Fox Hollow had committed violations of the False Claims Act by causing some of its hospital clients to submit false claims through the Medicare program. […]
Dignity Health Pays $37 Million After Claims of Overbilling
Major whistleblower claims have been occurring in a wide variety of industries lately. One of the industries in which fraud is most prevalent is the health care industry, and this past fall an instance of fraud cost a hospital chain a great deal of money. Dignity Health, a hospital chain based in San Francisco and […]
Whistleblower Exposes Wrongdoing at Arizona Corporation Commission
One employee of the Arizona Corporation Commission claims to have uncovered wrongdoing within the agency, and that he was offered a promotion to keep silent about it. But now various allegations against former commissioner Gary Pierce, who just retired in December, have been made public, thanks to a seven-page letter written by that employee to […]
