Celebrating Whistleblowers on World Whistleblower Day
Today (June 23) is World Whistleblower Day. It was originally created in 2019 by a group of NGOs to raise global awareness of the critical role whistleblowers play in combatting fraud and corruption. One of the principal groups behind the special day, and the one that promotes it the most widely, is Transparency International. It is the independent, not-for-profit NGO dedicated to stopping corruption and promoting transparency, accountability and integrity...
CFTC Whistleblower Alert: Whistleblowers Wanted Relating to Misconduct in Carbon Markets
On Tuesday, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued a Whistleblower Alert calling for help in identifying fraud or manipulation in the carbon markets. The CFTC is the principal federal watchdog for fraud involving the commodities markets. Under the CFTC Whistleblower Program, those who voluntarily provide information that leads to a successful CFTC enforcement action are entitled to an award of up to thirty percent of any government recovery. Certainly...
The Antitrust Week In Review
Here are some of the developments in antitrust news this past week that we found interesting and are following. Microsoft, Activision ask judge for speedy schedule in FTC challenge. Time is running out on a deadline for Microsoft to complete its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, compelling the companies to ask a U.S. judge to quickly get the ball rolling on the Federal Trade Commission's legal bid to...
A Whistleblower Warned Missing Experimental Ship Was Not Safe for Titanic Depths
On June 18, 2023, a submersible ship lost communications and went missing in the Atlantic Ocean on its mission to the Titanic wreckage with four tourists and a pilot onboard. The vessel, named “Titan,” was constructed and operated by OceanGate, an extreme marine exploration company. Five years before Titan went missing, whistleblower David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former director of marine operations, claims he repeatedly raised concerns that the carbon fiber hull...
Honoring the Passing of Legendary Pentagon Papers Whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg
“How can you measure the jeopardy that I'm in - whether it's 10 years, 20 years, 115 years, or other ludicrous amounts like that - to the penalty that has been paid already by 50,000 American families here and hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese families.” -Daniel Ellsberg, NPR archived recording. Daniel Ellsberg, freedom of the press advocate, anti-nuclear activist, and a 2021 Whistleblower of the Year candidate, passed away on...
Supreme Court Clarifies Government's Right to Dismiss False Claims Act Cases Brought by Whistleblowers
The Supreme Court last Friday (June 16) in United States ex rel. Polansky v. Executive Health Resources, Inc. clarified the scope of the Government's authority to dismiss False Claims Act cases brought by whistleblowers. In an 8 to 1 decision (with Justice Thomas dissenting), the Court held the Government may move to dismiss both during the seal period when it is investigating the case and after the seal when a...
In Their Own Words . . . .Greg Carr
"Juneteenth celebrations are a chance for this country, for the United States to rethink not only its origins, but the relationship of everybody who lives in this country to each other. In many ways, Juneteenth symbolically becomes a litmus test for the possibilities of this country." Greg Carr, associate professor of Africana Studies at Howard University, in yesterday's NPR piece -- Juneteenth, the newest federal holiday, is gaining awareness.
