Tag Archives: Texas Whistleblower Act
Shady Record Keeping Not Just in the VA
The nation was recently stunned by the revelation that Department of Veterans Affairs administrators were manipulating dates on records to conceal the unreasonable wait times veterans seeking medical care were forced to endure. Unfortunately, this type of conduct may be more common throughout government than we could have imagined. The Texas Supreme Court has recently […]
Whistleblower Suit Filed Against Texas Railroad Commission
Frederick Wright recently sued the Texas Railroad Commission for terminating his employment in violation of state whistleblower laws. If the suit is not settled, it could attract considerable attention in Texas. Wright was on the fast track Wright was a petroleum engineer who worked at the Bureau of Land Management and as an engineer in […]
Another Texas Whistleblower is Dismissed
The Supreme Court of Texas recently dismissed another whistleblower case with a narrow reading of Texas Whistleblower Act (TWA) requirements. Although the TWA offers significant protections to a tipster reporting malfeasance, a Dallas whistleblower attorney can offer counsel on how to meet the law’s specific requirements. The Facts Yusuf Farran was the Executive Director of […]
Texas Whistleblower Act Has Jurisdiction
A state employee sent an email to a superior declaring that if a particular contract were not honored, then the entire department would not be complying with federal regulation. After being fired, the employee sued under the Texas Whistleblower Act (TWA) and attached a copy of the email. The Texas Supreme Court dismissed the complaint […]
Whistleblowing with The False Claims Act
The top 30 False Claims Act settlements of 2012 totaled $9,094,474,000. Initiated by whistleblowers, the top three settlements involved $3 billion from GlaxoSmithKline for illegal marketing of prescription drugs, $1.5 billion from Abbott Laboratories for off-label marketing of Depakote and $1 billion from Bank of America for mortgage and bank fraud. The Federal False Claims […]
The Texas Whistleblower’s Whistle Did not Blow Against TAMUK
Gertrud Moreno was an assistant vice-president and comptroller of Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK). She claimed that her supervisor, Thomas Saban, terminated her after she reported to TAMUK’s president that Saban’s daughter received in-state tuition in violation of state law. After being fired, Moreno sued TAMUK alleging violation of the Texas Whistleblower Act. Elements of the […]
Nurse Anne Mitchell’s Whistleblowing Almost Blew Out Whistleblowing in Texas
The Winkler County nurses trials began with two nurses, Anne Mitchell and Vicki Galle, filing an anonymous complaint with the Texas Medical Board regarding the substandard care provided by Dr. Rolando Arafiles Jr. When Arafiles learned of the complaint, he complained of harassment to a friend and former patient, who happened to be the county […]
A Texas Whistleblower Must Blow his Whistle to a Proper Law Enforcement Authority
In addition to being a professor of surgery at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dr. Larry Gentilello was the Chair of the Division of Burn, Trauma and Critical Care. Gentilello reported to a supervisory faculty member that trauma residents were providing treatment and performing surgeries without the supervision of an attending physician […]
Demystifying the Texas Whistleblower Act
I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death. — Leonard Da Vinci When first reporting the illegal or […]
