Government Employee Whistleblower Protection Archives

OSC Urges Ninth Circuit to Adopt Suitable Exhaustion Requirement

In an amicus brief filed with the Ninth Circuit, the Office of Special Counsel urges reversal of a MSPB decision that imposes an onerous administrative exhaustion requirement on IRA appellants seeking relief at the Board under the Whistleblower Protection Act. In Johnen v. Department of the Army, the Board held that to satisfy the exhaustion … Continued

False Claims Act Whistleblower Obtains Favorable Rule on Double Back Pay

False Claims Act Whistleblower Disclosed Kickbacks In a recent False Claims Act case, a whistleblower obtained a favorable ruling on the remedies available for False Claims Act whistleblowers. In Mooney v. Americare, the whistleblower alleged retaliation for disclosing kickbacks from fraudulent referrals and the fraudulent alteration of documents submitted to Medicaid and Medicare. In … Continued

NDAA Provides Robust Whistleblower Protection

Whistleblower Protections for Employees of Government Contractors and Grantees July 2015 marks the second anniversary that the whistleblower protection provisions of the 2013 Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) became effective. The broad scope of protected whistleblowing, favorable causation standard and wide range of remedies render the NDAA an effective tool to combat whistleblower retaliation against employees … Continued

Whistleblower Law Firm Files Amici Curiae Brief in DC Whistleblower Protection Act Case

Zuckerman Law, a Washington DC firm representing whistleblowers nationwide, filed an amici curiae brief in Tucker v. DC on behalf of the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association and the Government Accountability Project. The brief urges the DC Court of Appeals to apply the correct burden-shifting framework in DC Whistleblower Protection Act cases. In Tucker, the … Continued

Image of Whistleblower Lawyer Jason Zuckerman Speaking at Seminar About Navigating the Maze of Private Sector Whistleblower Anti-Retaliation Laws

Whistleblower Lawyer Jason Zuckerman Speaking at Seminar About Navigating the Maze of Private Sector Whistleblower Anti-Retaliation Laws

DC whistleblower lawyer Jason Zuckerman is privileged to join Richard Renner, Of Counsel, Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch, to speak on November 18, 2014 program about “Navigating the Maze of Private Sector  Whistleblower Anti-Retaliation Laws.” The proliferation of whistleblower retaliation and reward laws has created a complex maze of claims and remedies. This brown bag will … Continued

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Whistleblower Lawyer Jason Zuckerman Will Chair Panel on Strategies For Representing Whistleblowers In The Federal Government

DC whistleblower lawyer Jason Zuckerman will chair a panel about Strategies For Representing Whistleblowers In The Federal Government at NELA’s October 17-18, 2014 conference titled “Representing Federal Employees Navigating A Complex Landscape.” Panelists Thomas M. Devine, Bruce Fong & The Honorable Ronald J. Weiss will address the following topics: After a 13-year legislative campaign, Congress … Continued

MSPB Whistleblower Protection Act Decision Clarifies Scope of IRA Appeal

In Benton-Flores v. Dep’t of Defense, 2014 MSPB 60 (July 31, 2014), the Board reversed an AJ’s decision holding that an IRA appellant failed to exhaust her administrative remedies before OSC and clarified that an AJ should consider all allegations contained throughout the entire record, including the initial OSC complaint and other written correspondence. The … Continued

VA Using Patient Privacy to Stifle Whistleblowers

An article in The Washington Post titled VA uses patient privacy to go after whistleblowers, critics say reports that the VA has routinely used HIPPA to stifle whistleblowers. And a letter from AFGE to the VA’s General Counsel provides examples of the VA disciplining or threatening to discipline whistleblowers for allegedly violating HIPPA or the … Continued

DC Employment Lawyer Jason Zuckerman Chairing CLE About Whistleblower Retaliation Claims

DC whistleblower lawyer Jason Zuckerman will be chairing a DC Bar CLE titled “Recent Developments in Sarbanes-Oxley, Dodd-Frank, and False Claims Act Whistleblower Retaliation and Litigation” on July 15, 2014. The CLE features leading practitioners: Lynne Bernabei, Bernabei & Wachtel PLLC Connie Bertram, Proskauer Adam Carter, The Employment Law Group PC Nancy Delogu, Littler Mendelson … Continued

Image of Issa-Grassley Report on FDA Surveillance Offers Critical Guidance to Agencies to Avoid Using Electronic Surveillance to Retaliate Against Whistleblowers

Issa-Grassley Report on FDA Surveillance Offers Critical Guidance to Agencies to Avoid Using Electronic Surveillance to Retaliate Against Whistleblowers

In a report titled “Limited Surveillance at the FDA: Protecting the Rights of Federal Whistleblowers,” Representative Issa and Senator Grassley offer crucial guidance for agencies to avoid abusing surveillance technology as a tool to retaliate against whistleblowers. The report recommends that agency surveillance or monitoring policies include the following safeguards (see page 11 of the … Continued

Whistleblower Attorney Jason Zuckerman Speaks on Panel About Recent Developments in Whistleblower Protections

At NELA’s 2103 Summit For Workers’ Rights, Jason Zuckerman spoke on a panel about recent developments in whistleblower protection law. Zuckerman was privileged to speak alongside distinguished whistleblower attorneys Tammy Marzigliano, a partner at Outten & Golden LLP, Richard Renner, Of Counsel to Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch, P.C., and Jordan A. Thomas, Chair of … Continued

Jason Zuckerman Speaks at Taxpayers Against Fraud Conference About Robust Whistleblower Protections

Whistleblower advocate Jason Zuckerman spoke at a Taxpayers Against Fraud conference on a panel titled “New Robust Retaliation Protections for Whistleblowers.” Zuckerman’s presentation focused on whistleblower rights and protections for federal employees, including the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, which protects a disclosure about a violation of any law, rule, or regulation; gross mismanagement; a … Continued