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National Defense Contractors’ Employees Now Have a Whistle
The 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), effective July 1, 2013, now offers employees of subcontractors with defense contracts the protection of the federal whistleblowing laws. Before the new law, subcontractors could only take their complaints of fraud or government waste to their bosses and not to a government office. Enhancing whistleblower protection for subcontractor […]
Whistleblowers Can Whistle Irish Tunes
Ireland’s minister for public expenditure and reform, Brendan Howlin, recently published the Protected Disclosures Bill, 2013, described as an important measure in the battle against corruption. Howlin said that lawmakers want to provide genuine employment and other protections to workers who were penalized or suffered harm for disclosing wrongdoing. Irish whistleblowing wrongdoing The new Irish […]
Courts Conducting the Whistleblowing
Whistleblowing is prevalent in the news. Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning captured our attention. As more claims emerge from workplaces, additional whistleblowing lawsuits are challenging the courts to define and interpret the many relevant laws. Asadi v. GE Energy (USA) Khaled Asadi raised concerns through GE Energy’s internal channels about the company engaging in bribery […]
Whistleblowing to the Tune of $6 Million
In early July 2013, Baxano Surgical Inc., formerly known as TranS1 Inc., agreed to pay $6 million to settle charges that it encouraged doctors to overcharge Medicare and other federal health programs and paid kickbacks to doctors. Baxano did not admit to wrongdoing as part of the settlement. The charges Facing three charges, Baxano agreed […]
Whistleblowing in Malta
Malta’s Parliament approved the country’s long-awaited Whistleblower Act. Effective September 15, 2013, the act provides varying programs of protection for individuals blowing the whistle on corrupt practices. The passage of the whistleblower act was the culmination of more than six years of legislative effort. Providing a new identity to the whistleblower Malta’s whistleblower act outlines […]
Giving Whistles to Guest Workers to Stop Workplace Abuse
Every year, tens of thousands of temporary H-2B workers travel to the United States with dreams of profitable employment that could lead to permanent residency. H-2B employees are temporary, foreign nonagricultural workers. Upon arrival in the country, many H-2B workers find employment abuses that resemble slavery. To understand the extent of the abuses, put yourself […]
Whistleblowing at the Right Time for the SEC
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Office of the Whistleblower rejected a claim for an award earlier in the summer because it was not “original” under the SEC’s whistleblower law. The claimant originally filed a report of accounting fraud in 2006. The SEC pursued the claim and a consent judgment for penalties, disgorgement and interest […]
Whistleblower from 2005 Wins His Job Back
Scott Teutscher worked for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Association (RSA) from 1999 until he was dismissed in 2005. Beginning in 2002, the Riverside Sheriff’s Association Legal Defense Trust covered the legal costs for Duane Winchell, a deputy sheriff, in a domestic relations proceeding. These legal expenses were outside of the trust document. Teutscher blew the […]
Citigroup Whistleblower Won’t Give Up
Whistleblower Richard M. Bowen III told The New York Times he plans to “leave this country better off than the way I found it.” He refuses to be muzzled about the financial fraud that led to the multibillion dollar taxpayer buyout of Citigroup. “There’s no question that Richard was censored,” says Steve Kardell, Bowen’s attorney […]
Retaliation for Whistleblowing to the FBI
With episodes of undercover FBI work, revelation of government bribery and retaliation by county officials, this whistleblowing story is one for Hollywood. Whistleblowing to the FBI Alessandro Salvo and his father operate G.S. Construction, which was awarded a 2011 contract to replace sidewalks along South Hairston Road in DeKalb County. Shortly after beginning work, the […]
