Media Coverage
February 08, 2024
In a recent decision in Murray v. UBS Securities LLC et al., the U.S. Supreme Court held that whistleblowers don't need to show that employers displayed retaliatory intent to be protected under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act — only that their activity was a "contributing factor" to negative action taken against them. Law360 spoke with TELG's Scott Oswald on the potential wider impact of this ruling — which Mr. Oswald believes may reach further than just the anti-retaliation laws one would initially expect.
Roll Call reported on developments related to four discrimination complaints filed by former Architect of the Capitol employees: Jason Baltimore, Jonathan Kraft, William O'Donnell, and Peter Bahm. All four are represented by TELG's Anita Mazumdar Chambers. Their lawsuits describe Christine Leonard, a former director in the agency, as a participant in their discriminatory removals. Ms. Leonard has now filed her own discrimination complaint against the agency.
December 18, 2023
TELG's Anita Mazumdar Chambers spoke with Employee to Lawyer, an employment law podcast hosted by the Illinois chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association. Ms. Chambers spoke with hosts Amit Bindra and Max Barack on topics such as The Employment Law Group's law practice, qui tam law, how to find local counsel, and what makes a case more likely to go to trial.
June 21, 2023
USA Today, and other publications, reported on the $3.8 million settlement paid by California-based Alta Vista Healthcare & Wellness Centre, LLC, and its management company Rockport Healthcare Services. The companies — a part of a larger network associated with one of California's biggest nursing home owners Shlomo Rechnitz — agreed to pay the United States and California in order to resolve allegations that they committed Medicare and Medicaid fraud. Neyirys Orozco, a former employee and the whistleblower who filed the case, will receive a portion of the settlement. Ms. Orozco is represented by TELG principal Janel Quinn.
Law360 spoke with TELG's Scott Oswald on the potential effects of the Supreme Court's decision to hear an appeal in Murray v. UBS Securities LLC et al. Depending on the Supreme Court's decision, the burden of proof may become heavier for financial industry whistleblowers — and, Mr. Oswald said, spill over into the nuclear, aviation, and railway industries.
April 25, 2023
The Acadiana Advocate, and other local Louisiana publications, reported on the $1.7 million settlement of a Medicare fraud suit involving medically unnecessary inpatient rehabilitation services. The whistleblowers who filed the case, Tamra Boyd and Nancy Morrill, will share over 20% of the settlement amount paid by their former employers, Lafayette Physical Rehabilitation Hospital, Acadiana Management Group, LLC, and Dr. Carolyn Smith. The whistleblowers were represented by TELG principal Janel Quinn.
TELG's Anita Mazumdar Chambers spoke with BioSpace about the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and gave tips for employees who want to request reasonable accommodations. Ms. Chamber' recommendations included documenting the request in writing and discussing limitations with a physician beforehand.
April 19, 2023
False Claims Act lawyers are waiting with bated breath to hear the Supreme Court's opinion on the relevancy of "subjective intent" in FCA cases. Law360 spoke with TELG's Scott Oswald to hear his thoughts on the debate, which arose from the cases U.S. ex rel. Proctor v. Safeway Inc. and U.S. ex rel. Schutte et al. v. SuperValu Inc., et al.
Patch, a local news Web site, reported on the partial settlement of a fraud case brought against a Virginia-based government contractor by TELG whistleblower client Fei Guan. Mr. Guan filed a False Claims Act complaint against parties including his former employer, Advanced Systems Technology & Management (AdSTM), which he claimed had fraudulently benefited from federal contracts that were set aside for qualifying small businesses. AdSTM and its founder agreed to pay the U.S. government almost $750,000 in penalties; as the whistleblower, Mr. Guan will receive a portion of that amount. Several claims remain active in the case, including fraud allegations against other parties and a retaliation claim against AdSTM. Mr. Guan is represented by TELG principal Janel Quinn.
March 07, 2023
TELG's Nick Woodfield spoke with Fortune magazine on the impact a recent decision from the National Labor Relations Board may have on severance agreements. The board ruled that the non-disparagement and confidentiality clauses in a Michigan case were written too broadly to be lawful under the National Labor Relations Act. With employers potentially having to narrow the clauses in their severance agreements, laid-off employees may have more bargaining power.
CNBC spoke with TELG’s Kellee Boulais Kruse about how you can protect yourself if you’ve been laid off by your employer. Tips include brushing up on employment law to make sure you haven’t been illegally fired and negotiating your severance offer.
Local Florida media such as the Tampa Bay Times reported on the $7 million settlement reached between Carter Healthcare and TELG clients Sharon Mahaffey and Mark Brimer. The two home-health therapists blew the whistle on their former employer and claimed Carter Healthcare overbilled and pushed unnecessary treatment onto patients. Ms. Mahaffey and Mr. Brimer were represented by TELG principal Janel Quinn.
September 02, 2022
TELG's Kellee Boulais Kruse spoke with AARP about 8 steps employees can take to fight against age discrimination.
August 24, 2022
Law360 reported on TELG client Ashaki Charles' recently filed complaint against her former employer, the Rutgers University Foundation. Ms. Charles alleged that the foundation fired her for reporting racist comments. Ms. Charles is represented by TELG principals Scott Oswald and Anita Chambers.
The Los Angeles Daily News, along with other media, reported on the $9.48 million settlement of a case filed by whistleblowers Elize Oganesyan and Damon Davies. Ms. Oganesyan and Mr. Davies will share an award of more than $1.75 million for their role in revealing Medicare fraud by their former employer, Minas Kochumian, a doctor who admitted that he submitted payment claims for procedures and tests that never happened. The whistleblowers were represented by TELG principal Janel Quinn.
TELG principal Adam Carter spoke with CNN about the Supreme Court’s internal investigation into the recently leaked opinion on abortion rights. Requests to cooperate are potentially putting clerks into a no-win situation – where anything they do is suspicious.
Reuters reported on TELG client Megan Borovicka's recent lawsuit against her employer, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, where Ms. Borovicka alleged gender pay discrimination and sexist comments from superiors. Ms. Borovicka is represented by TELG principal Anita Chambers.
Whistleblower claims filed under the Occupational Safety and Health Act come with some limitations — namely, a very strict deadline and OSHA’s control of the investigation. TELG’s Nick Woodfield explained to Bloomberg Law that many of these cases, however, overlap with other laws, which may give whistleblowers more options — including the option to be represented by private counsel.
Age discrimination concerns are discussed following the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ prediction that more older people will be in the workforce in the future. TELG’s Tom Harrington spoke with Kiplinger about common patterns in age discrimination cases and gave some advice for people facing it.
Bloomberg Law and other media reported on the recent settlement of TELG's client, Julie Reed. Ms. Reed will receive almost the maximum share allowed in qui tam cases as a reward for her work on behalf of the U.S. government. She alleged her former employer, KeyPoint, was misrepresenting high-level security clearance investigations.
