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Whistleblower News From The Inside — April 21, 2016

Posted  April 21, 2016

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team

US ranks 41st in Press Freedom Index thanks to ‘war on whistleblowers’ – Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index takes a decidedly negative view of US press freedom, citing the government’s “war on whistleblowers who leak information about its surveillance activities, spying and foreign operations, especially those linked to counter-terrorism,” and the country’s lack of a “shield law” that would allow journalists to protect confidential sources. National Public Radio

Australian senate committee calls for reform of weak whistleblower protections – Deeming current protections “unacceptable,” a high-profile senate committee called for a major overhaul of Australia’s corporate whistleblower laws; proposed changes include incentives or rewards for whistleblowers, a new public whistleblower advocate and better shielding of whistleblowers from victimization and dismissal. The Sydney Morning Herald

Local government whistleblower protection bill passes Colorado House – A proposed Colorado law that would give city, county, and public school employees the same whistleblower protections as state employees passed Colorado’s house 35-30; the bill now moves to Colorado’s Senate. Steamboat Today

NIH suspends clinical trials after contamination risk discovered – The US National Institutes of Health suspended two manufacturing facilities found to be at risk of contaminating materials for use in patients; the violations came to light during a sweeping NIH-wide review prompted by a whistleblower’s tips that led FDA investigators to find fungal contamination in materials intended for injection into patients, lab workers with uncovered hair, and insects in the light fixtures. Nature

Georgia dermatologists settles FCA case for $1.9m – Two Georgia doctors and their practice groups agreed to pay nearly $2M to settle allegations they improperly billed for evaluation and management services at the same time they billed for procedures, a scheme that violates Medicare rules. The Independent Mail

Construction industry whistleblower sues over blacklisting – Former UK construction manager Alan Wainwright, who revealed companies were logging employees’ union activities and blacklisting employees, filed suit against over 35 companies after being denied 150 jobs in 18 months. The Guardian