Whistleblower News from the Inside - January 28, 2014

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team

Legendary folk singer and “ever-so-gentle rabble-rouser” Pete Seeger dies at 94 – “Be wary of great leaders,” he recently told AP. “Hope that there are many, many small leaders.”  AP

Court finds whistleblower retaliation claims subject to pre-dispute arbitration – A federal judge in New York compels arbitration of Dodd-Frank whistleblower retaliation claims, rejecting argument that Sarbanes-Oxley anti-arbitration provisions apply.  Reuters

Big year predicted for corporate whistleblowers – The number of SEC whistleblower tips and False Claims Act whistleblower cases keeps climbing with significant whistleblower rewards on the horizon.  WSJ

FDA continues to allow dangerous antibiotics in animal feed – The FDA reviewed antibiotics used between 2001 and 2010, finding that 18 out of 30 were “high risk” to human health, but did not ban their use.  Washington Post

Dept. of Agriculture suspends major NJ slaughterhouse over animal cruelty – The suspension at Catelli Brothers, one of the country’s top lamb and veal suppliers, was prompted by a tape of the mistreatment made by the Humane Society.  AP

DOJ’s Medicare Fraud Task Force sets record numbers for 2013 healthcare fraud prosecutions –  137 cases filed; 345 individuals charged; 234 guilty pleas secured; 46 jury trial convictions; and ultimately returning to US Treasury nearly $8 for every dollar spent fighting healthcare fraud.  DOJ