Whistleblower News From The Inside - January 9, 2015
By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team
NJ Supreme Court to decide whether to gut workplace protections for whistleblowers — The Court is about to decide whether to maintain the whistleblower protections of the state’s Conscientious Employees Protection Act “or effectively repeal them by judicial fiat . . . [by declaring] that workers would not be protected if reporting wrongdoing could be considered to be part of their job.” NJ.com
Honda fined for safety violations — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration fined the Japanese car maker a “record $70 million for grossly underreporting fatal accidents and injuries to the government.” NYT
Whistleblower pilot reinstated after wrongful firing — OSHA ordered Air Methods Corp. to reinstate and pay $166,500 to a pilot who was fired for refusing to fly an unsafe medical helicopter. EHS Today
Kansas sues textbook company for billing state for books never purchased — The suit charges Scholastic School Supply with violating the Kansas False Claims Act by submitting false invoices for textbooks that were never purchased or delivered to at least 317 Kansas public schools. KSN.com
Medicare hospital payment data could bolster whistleblower cases – “Experts say 2012 Medicare hospital payment data made public last year by CMS [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] could bolster whistleblower cases alleging Medicare fraud.” iHealthBeat
Former Director of International Adoption Guides pleads guilty to Ethiopian adoption fraud scheme — James Harding admitted to submitting fraudulent documents to the State Department for adoptions from Ethiopia and paying bribes to foreign officials. DOJ