By Steve Kardell | Published January 24, 2023 | Posted in Employee Rights, Fraud, Whistleblower Litigation | Tagged Tags: employer retaliation, healthcare fraud, workplace safety |
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of nurses and other healthcare professionals in a whole new way. Nurses are on the “front lines” of healthcare, often the first people to notice and report a problem. What happens when you speak up, and your employer retaliates? Fortunately, whistleblower laws exist to protect nurses from retaliation from Read More
Read MoreA judge awarded a former U.S. Forest Service firefighter $115,000 in back pay, siding with the firefighter in his whistleblower retaliation claim against the Forest Service. The firefighter, Pedro Rios, claimed the agency “blackballed” him for publicly speaking out against the agency’s loose COVID-19 safety protocols during the height of the pandemic.The decision from the Read More
Read MoreIn a September article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, a whistleblower alleges executives of St. Therese of New Hope nursing home instructed staff to ignore protocols related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The whistleblower was Brooke Peoples, who previously worked as an administrator at the facility in New Hope, Minnesota. She claims the instructions came from Read More
Read MoreThe number of people throughout the United States quitting their jobs has reached record highs as Americans see significant opportunities in the job market and opportunities to earn more money elsewhere. Approximately 4.3 million people quit their jobs in August alone, representing nearly three percent of the workforce. That is the second time this year Read More
Read MoreThe Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently filed a lawsuit against Zoltek Corp., alleging the company acted in defiance of whistleblower statutes by wrongfully terminating an employee who spoke up about unsafe working conditions. The lawsuit seeks reinstatement, damages, back wages and an order for the company to post proper notices around its premises Read More
Read MoreSome of the largest unions in the state of Texas recently renewed a push to get lawmakers to overhaul the employment insurance system in the state and to ensure workers’ compensation for employees who were exposed to the COVID-19 virus while on the job. According to these unions, state legislators need to take more concrete Read More
Read MoreA former worker at a McDonald’s location in San Jose, California recently filed a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit against the company, claiming she was fired for leading protests against the restaurant when it failed to provide workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The employee, Maria E. Ruiz Bonilla, Read More
Read MoreThe COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a surge of whistleblower complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A significant portion of these complaints are related to claims of retaliation against people who blew the whistle against insufficient health and safety protocols in the wake of the pandemic. Recent reports indicate OSHA has fallen far Read More
Read MoreA teacher at H.D. Berkey Elementary School in New Kensington, Pennsylvania recently submitted an anonymous letter to Action News 4 in Pittsburgh containing concerns about the New Kensington Arnold School District’s COVID-19 safety protocols. Some of the specific concerns addressed in the letter included: Students being placed three to five feet apart, rather than the Read More
Read MoreKatrina Bryant, a former worker at a construction site for a new Amazon warehouse in Boardman, Oregon, alleges she was the victim of wrongful termination after she raised concerns to superiors over safety measures to prevent COVID-19 spread. Allegations in the case Bryant was tasked with safety compliance at the construction site, with duties including Read More
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