Whistleblower Law Blog
Pharmaceutical Whistleblower Awarded $1.8M for Unlawful Retaliation
April 17, 2019
New Jersey’s Conscientious Employee Protection Act, N.J. Stat. § 34:19-1 et seq. (“CEPA”), has resulted in another substantial whistleblower victory. According to Law360, in late February 2019, a New Jersey jury returned a verdict of over $1.8 million in favor of Min Amy Guo, a whistleblower who alleged that Novartis...
Ninth Circuit Affirms $8 million SOX Whistleblower Award
April 9, 2019
On February 26, 2019, the Ninth Circuit affirmed $8 million of an $11 million jury award to a former general counsel whistleblower, vacating his Dodd-Frank Act claim, vacating and remanding his Sarbanes-Oxley Act claim, and affirming his California wrongful termination claim. In January 2017, a jury found that defendants Bio-...
6 Ways Whistleblowers Can Protect Themselves
March 15, 2019
For government agencies and regulators seeking to deter and punish instances of fraud, corruption and other wrongdoing that threaten the public interest, cases are often proven thanks to essential information provided by employees on the “inside.” Those who report this pertinent information are known as “whistleblowers” and, by...
Whistleblower Suit Against Pharmaceutical Company Heads to Trial
March 14, 2019
Update: In January 2020, Teva Pharmaceuticals agreed to pay $54 million to settle FCA claims.
Last month the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled in favor of whistleblowers against a pharmaceutical company’s motion for summary judgment, setting up a trial on the whistleblowers’ claim that...
New Study Confirms Efficacy of SOX-Mandated Internal Whistleblower Systems
February 19, 2019
Late last year, financial researchers Stephen Stubben and Kyle Welch published a first-of-its kind study analyzing the use of internal whistleblowing systems at over 900 publicly-traded companies in the United States. The study, “Evidence on the Use and Efficacy of Internal Whistleblowing Systems,” found wide variation in the...
Fourth Circuit Clarifies Broadened Scope of Protected Conduct Under the False Claims Act
February 14, 2019
On December 26, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit revived whistleblower David Grant’s False Claims Act (“FCA”) retaliation claim against his former employer United Airlines because the lower court applied the wrong standard. The Court reasoned that the 2010 amendments to the FCA broadened the scope of...
Ninth Circuit Solidifies Mandatory Escobar Test by Denying en banc Rehearing
December 11, 2018
On November 24, 2018, the Ninth Circuit denied the Stephens Institute’s petition for rehearing en banc in United States ex rel. Rose v. Stephens Institute, 901 F.3d 1124 (9th Cir. 2018), reh’g denied, --- F.3d ----, 2018 WL 6165627 (Nov. 24, 2018), a False Claims Act case in which the relators alleged an “implied false...
ARB Upholds $1.1 Million Award to Maritime Whistleblower
July 10, 2018
The Department of Labor Administrative Review Board (ARB) recently upheld a $1.1 million award to a ship captain who was forced out of his position after blowing the whistle on safety violations aboard his vessel.
John Loftus brought a complaint against his former employer, Horizon Lines, Inc. (later bought by Matson...
Big Win for IRS Whistleblowers as U.S. Tax Court Ruling on 'Collected Proceeds' Stands
May 31, 2018
In March, a settlement between the IRS and two whistleblowers finally put to rest a long-pending dispute about the amount of money IRS whistleblowers can receive for successfully reporting tax fraud or other serious tax underpayments. Under the IRS whistleblower reward program, a whistleblower who provides information to the...
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Upholds $3.2M Whistleblower Award Based on Both Economic and Noneconomic Damages
April 2, 2018
Pennsylvania whistleblowers received a major win on Tuesday, March 28, 2018, when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision affirming a $3.2 million verdict in favor of Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (“PTC”) whistleblower, Ralph Bailets. The decision was notable for two reasons: (1) it confirmed that...
