Lawsuit Alleges Pharmacy Technician Was Fired After Reporting Boss’s Fraud

Maxim Healthcare Service, a federal contractor for healthcare services, is the subject of a whistleblower lawsuit alleging it retaliated against an employee who reported fraud at an immigrant detention facility.

According to the complaint, the whistleblower, Laura Wondercheck, worked for Maxim as a pharmacy technician, serving at the Dilley immigration detention facility for women and children. Her employment there began in July 2015. During her work with the company, she witnessed her supervisor ordering pharmaceuticals for his own use. She initially began to suspect fraud because the pharmaceuticals that were coming in were products geared toward men, while the facility only treated women.

She reported the fraud to Maxim via its own internal reporting method, and the company fired the pharmacist who was engaging in the fraud, but then also fired her two weeks after she reported it. Wondercheck then took action to file a whistleblower lawsuit alleging wrongful termination.

Whistleblower retaliation is illegal

There are federal laws in place that protect whistleblowers from any form of retaliation, including wrongful termination. Employers are expected to abide by the rights of their employees and to understand that blowing the whistle on corporate wrongdoing is a federally protected activity.

Many whistleblowers are nervous about reporting information either internally or externally, but by working with an attorney, whistleblowers are able to report the information they have correctly and securely and protect their rights to the fullest extent possible.

For further advice on the steps you should take to file a whistleblower claim when you have information on illegal activity, contact a knowledgeable whistleblower lawyer with Kardell Law Group.