The U.S. District Court of the Southern District of California granted whistleblowers a significant victory this year. In the case of Erhart v. BofI Holdings, Inc., the district court found an employee’s confidentiality agreement with his or her employer did not trump federal whistleblower’s rights. In some circumstances, employees can…
Each week new qui tam suits, possible under the False Claims Act (FCA) are brought by private individuals against other individuals and businesses on behalf of the federal government. Many of these lawsuits take years to investigate and litigate. Additionally, each week sees some of these cases settled, finalized, or…
In the case of Fair Laboratory Practices Associates v. Riedel, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit determined that a qui tam settlement sharing agreement between two claimants did not need to be placed under seal. This is important information for claimants who want to make private agreements…
Between Oct. 2015 and Sept. 2016, the Department of Justice (DOJ) won more than $4.7 billion in judgements and settlements from civil fraud and false claims against the government, a DOJ press release stated. This recovery is from cases brought under the False Claims Act (FCA), including qui tam claims…
It can be perilous for a single individual to expose a company’s illegal acts. Whistleblowers, as these courageous people as called, risk losing their jobs, damaging their reputations, being ostracized by coworkers and neighbors, and other detriments by daring to speak up. Federal and state legislatures recognize the dangers and…
The California Whistleblowers law prohibits employers, or someone associated with them and acting on their behalf, to retaliate against employees who report their employer’s unlawful activities. The retaliation can take many forms, such as: Terminating the employee’s employment Demoting the employee or denying the worker a deserved promotion, raise, or…
A Whistle blower employee is an informant who exposes a crime, or wrongdoing, taking place within the organization in the hope of stopping it. If you are considering becoming a whistle blower, or if you have been retaliated for reporting a misdeed you should be aware of your rights. Old…