Will the Supreme Court dial back whistleblower protection?
Several U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday seemed reluctant to broaden whistleblower protection for corporate whistleblowers.
Eighth Circuit – Wrongful termination claims by Airline whistleblower are not preempted by ADA
In Watson v. Air Methods Corp., No. 15-1900, the Eighth Circuit made clear that the whistleblower protections within the federal Airline Deregulation Act (“the ADA”) do not preclude state claims for wrongful termination. The case involved an in-flight air medic who made several complaints to his employer regarding FAA safety violations, and was later fired.
airline, FAA, Whistleblower protection, workplace retaliation
Trump: UN must do more to protect whistleblowers
In his first official remarks to the United Nations (“the UN”) since his inauguration in January, President Donald Trump called upon the organization to take steps to protect whistleblowers. The President’s address to the UN Reform Committee was brief and…
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Netflix documentary ‘Icarus’ features Russian sport-doping whistleblower
Former head of Russian anti-doping agency exposes alleged state-sponsored doping A Netflix documentary to be released this Friday tells the story of a former Russian doping scientist who came to the United States in late 2015 and exposed the Russian…
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New VA reform bill protects whistleblowers
President Trump today signed the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act into law. This VA reform bill gives the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) David Shulkin and future VA Secretaries the ability to discipline and fire employees for poor…
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Government, Veterans Affairs, whistleblower attorney, Whistleblower protection
9th Cir. widens circuit split over Dodd-Frank whistleblower protections
A recent decision from the 9th Circuit has served to widen the circuit split over whether Dodd-Frank’s anti-retaliation protections should protect internal whistleblowers. In early March, a split 9th Circuit panel found in favor of extending Dodd-Frank’s anti-retaliation protections to…
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Dodd-Frank Act, Retaliation, Whistleblower, Whistleblower protection
Martha Ellis sues city, mayor, and top brass
Martha Ellis, the first female battalion fire chief for the Salt Lake City Fire Department (“SLCFD”), recently filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Salt Lake City, after submitting a notice of claim to the city in June of this year. Ellis,…
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Payroll Fraud, Whistleblower, Whistleblower protection, workplace retaliation
Monsanto whistleblower gets $22M award
At the end of last month, the SEC announced “the award of more than $22 million to a whistleblower whose detailed tip and extensive assistance helped” the SEC bring to an end a “well-hidden” fraud at Monsanto where the whistleblower…
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Dodd-Frank Act, SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission, Whistleblower award, Whistleblower protection
Retaliation claim settled by Phoenix VA whistleblower
Embattled Phoenix VA whistleblower Brandon Coleman has settled his retaliation claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs, which was taken up and investigated by the Office of Special Counsel (“OSC”). Following the settlement, Coleman returned to work at the VA…
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Veterans Affairs, Whistleblower protection, workplace retaliation
CFTC pays whistleblower $10 million
Until recently, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (“CFTC”) Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Program had only paid out two whistleblower awards, totaling $530,000 ($290,000 and $240,000, respectively), over the entire life of the program. However, that changed significantly when the CFTC announced…
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CFTC Whistleblower Program, Dodd-Frank Act, IRS, IRS Tax Whistleblower Program, SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission, Whistleblower, Whistleblower award, Whistleblower protection, workplace retaliation