workplace retaliation Archives - Utah Whistleblower Hotline

Eighth Circuit – Wrongful termination claims by Airline whistleblower are not preempted by ADA

Author: admin October 13, 2017

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

FAA, wrongful termination

Martha Ellis sues city, mayor, and top brass

Author: admin November 8, 2016

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

cover up, demotion, Deputy Chief Robert McMicken, discrimination, Fire Chief Brian Dale, harassment, interim Chief Karl Lieb, Martha Ellis, Mayor Biskupski, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City Fire Department, SLCFD, workplace retaliation

SEC settles first stand-alone retaliation enforcement action

Author: admin November 1, 2016

Late in September, the SEC Office of the Whistleblower brought its second stand-alone whistleblower retaliation enforcement action against International Game Technology (“IGT”) over allegations that the company fired “an employee with several years of positive performance reviews because [the employee]…
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Dodd-Frank Act, Retaliation, SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission, workplace retaliation

2nd Cir. revives JPMorgan whistleblower suit

Author: admin September 27, 2016

The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently revived a whistleblower suit against JPMorgan Chase filed by former wealth management pro Jennifer Sharkey. Sharkey has alleged JPMorgan fired her after she warned that an Israeli client was committing fraud. The…
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OSHA, Sarbanes-Oxley, U.S. Department of Labor, workplace retaliation

DOL, JPMorgan Chase, Occupational Health and Safety Administration, OSHA, protected activity, retaliation, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Second Circuit Court of Appeals, SOX, summary judgment, summary order, termination, U.S. Department of Labor

OSHA pilots expedited whistleblower program

Author: admin August 30, 2016

In an effort to speed up the claims process under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”) Whistleblower Protection Program, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) has launched a new pilot program, called the “Expedited Case Processing Pilot,” in its…
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OSHA, Retaliation, U.S. Department of Labor, Whistleblower, workplace retaliation

Administrative Law Judge, ALJ, Department of Labor, DOL, Expedited Case Processing Pilot, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, Severe Violator Enforcement Program, W-SVEP, Whistleblower Protection Program

SOX and “reasonable beliefs”

Author: admin June 28, 2016

In a recent decision from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, future potential whistleblowers alleging retaliation claims under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (“SOX”) may have found an easier path to proceed with their claims. The Eighth Circuit’s opinion in Beacom v….
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Dodd-Frank Act, Sarbanes-Oxley, workplace retaliation

Dodd-Frank, Dodd-Frank Act, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, reasonable belief, retaliation, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, SOX

Retaliation claim settled by Phoenix VA whistleblower

Author: admin May 11, 2016

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

alternative dispute resolution, Brandon Coleman, Department of Veterans Affairs, Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act, Office of Special Counsel, OSC, OSC mediation program, Phoenix VA, reinstatement, retaliation, VA

CFTC pays whistleblower $10 million

Author: admin May 3, 2016

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

CFTC, CFTC Whistleblower Program, Dodd-Frank Act, Internal Revenue Service, IRS, IRS Whistleblower Office, SEC, SEC Office of the Whistleblower, Securities and Exchange Commission, Tax Relief and Health Care Act, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, whistleblower, whistleblower award

Ninja Turtles tax fraud plan alleged by Ex-Viacom VP in whistleblower suit

Author: admin March 2, 2016

As initially reported by Reuters, a former vice president of Viacom, Inc. has sued the media giant claiming that she was fired in retaliation for her opposition to Viacom’s alleged Ninja Turtles tax fraud plan, which involved illegally avoiding paying…
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Dodd-Frank Act, Sarbanes-Oxley, Tax Fraud, Whistleblower, workplace retaliation

Dodd-Frank Act, retaliation, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, tax fraud, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT, Viacom, whistleblower

Colorado to pay $280,000 to prisons whistleblower

Author: admin January 21, 2016

A whistleblower formerly employed by the Colorado prison system will be paid $280,000 to settle her complaint that the state tried to punish and silence her for her whistleblowing activities. Maureen O’Keefe, the former director of Colorado Department of Corrections’…
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Whistleblower, Whistleblower award, Whistleblower protection, workplace retaliation

whistleblower, whistleblower award, Whistleblower protection, workplace harassment