Former NBC-2 TV anchorman Craig Wolf has filed a lawsuit under the Florida Whistleblower Act (“FWA”), alleging that his former employer, Waterman Broadcasting, fired him in retaliation for his reporting unsanitary conditions at the station’s studies and at other parts of the building.  The News-Press of Fort Myers, Florida reported that Mr. Wolf filed the [...]

American International Group, Inc. (“AIG”) settled a lawsuit on Monday with a former compliance officer who alleged that she had been terminated in retaliation for raising concerns about what she perceived to be unusual trading by a former Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) at AIG.  The federal lawsuit was filed following a determination by the Occupational [...]

According to a recently released Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) report entitled “Whistleblower Protection: Actions Needed to Improve DOD’s Military Whistleblower Reprisal Program,” the GAO has found numerous problems with how Department of Defense (“DOD”) and other military Inspectors General (“IGs”) are handling whistleblower cases.  The main problem identified in the report is that the DOD [...]

On January 31, 2012, the Administrative Review Board (“ARB”) of the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued an opinion in the case of Luder v. Continental Airlines, Inc. The Board affirmed the decision of the Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) finding that Roger Luder, a former pilot for Continental Airlines, had been illegally retaliated against for blowing [...]

A jury awarded a North Dakota whistleblower $900,000 on Tuesday, February 21, 2012, after finding that he had been retaliated against for raising safety concerns.  Dr. Mitchell Magid was an oral surgeon for MeritCare, a Fargo-based not-for-profit health care provider operating various clinics and a hospital.  According to the North Dakota news website Inforum, Dr. [...]

The Federal Railroad Safety Act (“FRSA”) was amended on August 3, 2007 to transfer authority for railroad carrier worker whistleblower protections to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”).  The amendments also provided for new rights, remedies and procedures.  The FRSA was again amended on October 16, 2008 with the passage of the Rail Safety [...]

The Food Integrity Campaign, a project of the Government Accountability Project, reported yesterday that two United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) inspectors who were assigned to the Snokist Growers fruit processing plant in Washington state reported concerns about moldy applesauce to their supervisor but were repeatedly ignored.  The inspectors alleged that packaging leaks would cause [...]

In its budget request for fiscal year 2013, the White House requested $18.7 million for the Office of Special Counsel (“OSC”).  As the government watchdog website MSPBWatch reports, this was less than was requested or appropriated last year — $19.5 million and $19 million, respectively.  This lowering in funding comes despite the fact that, as [...]

The Sixth Circuit ruled in favor of the employer yesterday in Yadav v. L-3 Communications Corp., a case brought under the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (“AIR21”).  The case involved an employee, Avinash Yadav, who alleged that he had been terminated in retaliation for complaining to his supervisors [...]

In a press release yesterday, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced its fiscal year 2013 budget request.  Although the Department actually lowered the amount it requested from last year – it sought $12.6 billion for 2012 compared to $12 billion for 2013 – it nevertheless recognized the importance of its whistleblower protection programs, and asked [...]