ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Department of Justice Expands Investigation Lead By Whistleblower Allegations of Large-Scale Medicare Fraud The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently expanded its investigation of the Medicare Advantage Plan thanks to the efforts of a Medicare whistleblower. The whistleblower case (also known as a qui tam) began as an investigation […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Sonoma County Whistleblower Awarded Damages Sonoma State University Whistleblower Recently, an employee of Sonoma State University made claims that he was harassed by members of the university’s staff for speaking up on a very serious issue: asbestos. When the whistleblower refused to stay quiet about the harm of […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER The IRS Whistleblower Program How the Program Works In this age of heightened notoriety for whistleblowers like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, it can often seem like there’s little or no recourse for those with inside knowledge. However, while it can often be difficult to spill the beans […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER The Role of Whistleblowers in Healthcare How Whistleblowers can Reform the Healthcare Industry Whistleblowers have long been looked to by the U.S. government to help uncover wrongdoing and work with government agents to ensure that inside information about systematic fraud is revealed. The False Claims Act, which empowers […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER News Rules in Qui Tam Legislation The False Claims Act is a venerable statute of the U.S. Government, dating back to the Civil War. Originally targeted at preventing the rampant fraud plaguing the union army, over the years it has come to be used more broadly, allowing individual […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Revised Rewards Guidelines Issued by the IRS The IRS has the unenviable job not only of collecting taxes, but of following up and investigating businesses and individuals that try to avoid paying their fair share. The investigative effort this requires is staggering, and as a result, the IRS […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER By Steve Baker Bogus IRS Calls Have you received a call from a bogus IRS agent imminent legal action or that they are sending a squad car to arrest you? If you are one of the rare people that has not yet gotten one of these calls, just […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Healthcare Providers and the SEC According to an SEC investigation, a health insurance provider has been using illegal severance agreement that attempt to gag ex-employees who might consider becoming whistleblowers. The agreements, which were changed after the passage of the Dodd-Frank act, make former employees waive their right […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Healthcare Providers and Whistleblowers Numerous cases in recent years have shown the power of whistleblowers to expose corruption, fraud, and misconduct. In the United State, the government has recognized the value of whistleblowers for a long time, and has passed laws enabling and protecting them going back a […]

Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 This newly signed law strengthens the protections for whistleblowers who report illegal practices to the government, particularly with regards to trade secrets. In the past, employees who signed “gag orders” or non-disclosure agreements were hampered in their ability to report malfeasance, particularly in the […]