Whistleblower Law Blog

TweetEarlier this month, the Navy Department in charge of security clearances reinstated the top secret security clearance of Franz Gayl, a civilian science and technology advisor for the Marine Corps. Gayl was placed on administrative leave for criticizing military leaders and allegedly stealing classified information. According to the Associated Press: Beginning in 2007, Gayl accused [...]

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TweetThe U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) announced its conclusion last week that the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) violated the Whistleblower Protection Act when it retaliated against Diem-Thi Le for blowing the whistle on fraudulent DCAA practices. Ms. Le worked for the DCAA as a Senior Auditor for 17 years. In September 2005 Le [...]

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TweetLawyer Monthly has selected The Employment Law Group® law firm as its 2011 Labor & Employment Law Firm of the Year. Lawyer Monthly is an international legal publication that tracks legal news across many different practice areas and jurisdictions around the world. This month’s edition of Lawyer Monthly lists the publication’s Law Firm of the [...]

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TweetThe Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged North Bethesda resident Garfield M. Taylor and his associates with running a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme in which he promised investors annual returns of about 20 percent with little or no risk.  Instead, Taylor lost investors money on highly risky options and used funds from new investors to [...]

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TweetOne of the nation’s largest privately held mortgage companies, Allied Home Mortgage Corporation (Allied), and two of its top executives, CEO Jim Hodge and Executive VP Jeanne Stell, are facing scrutiny for providing false loan certifications to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Peter Belli, a former regional manager at Allied, filed suit [...]

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TweetThe Securities and Exchange Commission released its first annual report on the new SEC Whistleblower Award Program, covering the period from the program’s inception on August 12 to the end of fiscal year 2011 on September 30.  During those seven weeks, the Commission received an astounding 334 whistleblower tips from individuals in 37 states, as well [...]

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TweetIn wake of the child sexual assault allegations against former Penn State Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky that have shocked the nation, lawmakers across the U.S. are moving quickly to tighten up rules on who must report the sexual abuse of a child.  State legislatures are likely going to debate whether new laws are needed to [...]

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TweetThe Employment Law Group® law firm principal attorney Nick Woodfield was quoted in a Law360 article regarding the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s (OSHA) recently published interim final rules.  These rules implement the changes made to the whistleblower provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) as mandated in last year’s Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer [...]

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TweetOn November 3, 2011, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published interim final rules that modify regulations pertaining to whistleblower complaints filed under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 contained amendments that strengthen SOX whistleblower provisions.  The recently released interim rules aim to [...]

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TweetOn October 17, 2011, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in Elgin v. United States Dept. of the Treasury and will decide whether federal district courts have jurisdiction to hear constitutional claims brought by federal employees seeking equitable relief. Early in 2012, the Supreme Court will review the decision of the U.S. Court of [...]

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TweetCynthia Ferguson, an independent truck driver with over 15 years of experience, recently prevailed in a retaliation claim against New Prime Inc., a Missouri-based trucking company, under the whistleblower provisions of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA). New Prime terminated Ferguson after she refused to follow its dispatcher’s order to continue driving on a hazardous [...]

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