Whistleblower Law Blog

Monday, the DC Council approved the Whistleblower Protection Amendment Act of 2009, which strengthens the DC Whistleblower Protection Act (DC Code § 1-615.51 et seq.) and The Employees of District Contractors and Instrumentality Whistleblower Protection Act of 1998 (DC Code § 2-223.01 et seq.).  The Whistleblower Protection Amendment Act of 2009 eliminates loopholes in the [...]

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Tom Harrington, an associate at The Employment Law Group® law firm, was quoted in a December 3, 2009 article published by The Raleigh News & Observer.  The article, “Tony Rand accused of insider trading,” discusses accusations of insider trading by Paul Feldman, the former President of Law Enforcement Associates.  Mr. Feldman claims he was unlawfully [...]

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On October 22, 2009, a D.C. Superior Court awarded Colin Browne over $282,000 for his former employer’s violations of the D.C. Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA).  This is one of the highest awards under the D.C. WPA to date.  The award comes after a 5 day jury trial.  We first blogged about the verdict in Mr. Browne’s [...]

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In an article titled, “Whistle-blower suit filed against Pittsburg school district,” Contra Costa Times reports about Tim Galli’s whistleblower retaliation lawsuit against the Pittsburg school district.  Tim Galli, a 35-year educator and former Pittsburg High principal, suffered retaliation when he raised concerns about the school district’s questionable budgetary practices, and undisclosed financial conflict of interest [...]

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The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) has vacated the Administrative Judge’s (AJ) decision in Miller v. Department of Homeland Security, holding that the AJ erroneously concluded that Miller’s disclosures were not protected under the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA).  Miller, a Transportation Security Specialist for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) alleged that he was retaliated against [...]

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The Merit Systems Protection Board (“MSPB”) has ordered the U.S. Agency for International Development (“Agency”) to pay backpay, including interest, and other benefits to a former investigator who alleged that he was retaliated against for blowing the whistle about agency personnel consuming alcohol while on duty.  The MSPB also ordered the Agency to cancel the [...]

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On January 28, 2009, the House passed the Platts-Van Hollen amendment to its economic stimulus bill, which will enhance whistleblower protections for federal employees who report on waste, fraud and abuse of federal funds.  The Platts-Van Hollen amendment which is substantially similar to H.R. 985, grants federal employees the right to a jury trial in [...]

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This morning, Principal Scott Oswald of The Employment Law Group® law firm was interviewed by Federal News Radio about federal whistleblower protections.  In the interview, Mr. Oswald provided insight on whistleblower protections for federal employees and offered recommendations to strengthen the Whistleblower Protection Act.  For more information about The Employment Law Group® law firm’s Whistleblower Protection [...]

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On December 16, 2008, Judge Rosemary M. Collyer of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied defendant’s motion to dismiss in Mr. Stephen Amos’s whistleblower retaliation claim against the District of Columbia under the D.C. Whistleblower Protection Act.  In his complaint, Mr. Amos, the former Chief of Staff for the District of [...]

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In a recent article titled, “Whistleblowers May Have a Friend in the Oval Office,” the Washington Post reports that President-elect Obama and his advisers favor more robust whistleblower protections for federal employees.  According to the article, Obama has an ongoing history of supporting whistleblowers.  As an attorney, Obama represented Janet Chandler in her qui tam [...]

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Legal Times reports about the October 7, 2008 decision in Drake v. Agency for International Development, where the Federal Circuit held that a foreign service investigator and client of The Employment Law Group® law firm did not need to prove actual violations of the law to be protected under the Whistleblower Protection Act (“WPA”).  The [...]

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In Drake v. Agency for International Development, the Federal Circuit held that the Merit Systems Protection Board (“MSPB”) erred in concluding that Drake’s disclosures were not protected under the Whistleblower Protection Act (“WPA”).  Drake, a Foreign Service Investigator with the U.S. Agency for International Development (“Agency”), alleged that he was retaliated against for blowing the [...]

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Attorneys at The Employment Law Group® law firm join the Government Accountability Project (GAP) and 226 other diverse organizations in their  petition for Congress to include federal whistleblower protections in the bailout bill.  This week, GAP and other public interests groups delivered a letter to legislators emphasizing the need for comprehensive whistleblower protections, including the [...]

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In Kahn v. Dept. of Justice, the Federal Circuit held that the Merit Systems Protection Board (“MSPB”) erred in dismissing Kahn’s individual right of action (“IRA”) appeal under the Whistleblower Protection Act (“WPA”).  In his IRA appeal, Kahn, a special agent for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), alleged that he was retaliated against after he [...]

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Last week, 112 diverse organizations rallied together to persuade leading U.S. Senate and House officials to enact stronger protections for federal employee whistleblowers.  The coalition, led by the Government Accountability Project and the Project on Government Oversight, delivered a letter to legislators advocating prompt reconciliation of the House and Senate versions of whistleblower protection legislation [...]

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In Chambers v. Dept. of Interior, No. 2007-3050 (Fed. Cir. Feb. 14, 2008), the Federal Circuit held that the Merit Systems Protection Board erred by conflating the standards for evaluating disclosures of risks to public health and safety and disclosures of gross mismanagement under the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA). Chambers, the former Director of the [...]

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The Ethics Resource Center (“ERC”) released a report underscoring the need for stronger whistleblower protection laws. The ERC’s survey found that 1) nearly six in ten government employees saw at least one form of misconduct in the past twelve months; 2) one in four government employees works in an environment conducive to misconduct; 3) only [...]

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Yesterday the Senate approved by unanimous consent S. 274, Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act (FEPDA). The FEPDA would significantly improve both substantive and procedural protections for federal employee whistleblowers and would close the many loopholes that the Federal Circuit and the Merit Systems Protection Board have read into the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989. [...]

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