Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys Discuss Military Whistleblower Cases

Some whistleblower cases arise from conduct that is witnessed by members of the armed forces. In a recent whistleblower lawsuit, a former deckhand claims that he was terminated after he reported illegal conduct that he alleged he witnessed while working on board the motor vessel “Mississippi.”  The whistleblower had not been cited for any previous incidences of misconduct during his lengthy career with the armed forces. Additionally, he was terminated while on military duty, so the circumstances surrounding his termination certainly seem suspicious.

The deckhand, an Iraq war veteran with nearly twenty years of prior military service, started working on the Mississippi as a seasonal employee in December of 2013. The vessel is used for a variety of purposes, including holding meetings in its large hearing room, serving as an inspection boat for the Mississippi River Commission, and moving barges and equipment for military exercises. Individuals who are not directly involved with the military, such as politicians, are often on board the Mississippi as guests and meeting attendees.

Some of the illegal conduct that the whistleblower claims that he witnessed was alcohol consumption by superiors and crew members. Consumption and possession of alcohol on government vessels is prohibited by regulations issued by both the United States Coast Guard and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association. The ship’s captain claimed that he received a letter from Washington, D.C. which gave permission for people on the ship to consume alcohol, but neither the whistleblower nor anyone else ever actually saw that letter. The whistleblower allegedly witnessed other illegal conduct too, in the form of racist behavior which included white officers treating black employees as if they were their slaves. He was personally involved in one such incident, when he refused to carry luggage for a senior officer’s wife because it was outside the scope of his duties as a maintenance officer and because the request that he carry the luggage was made in a rude and rather demeaning manner.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Standing up for Mississippi Whistleblowers

It can be very difficult to come forward and expose improper conduct on the part of a corporation or an organization, and even more so when you put your job at risk.  If you believe that you have a valid whistleblower claim, the Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC may be able to help you.  Our attorneys can provide you with the information you need to understand the whistleblower claims process and the legal assistance that you will require as your whistleblower case moves forward. To learn more about how we can help you, please call our office today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

/by

Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys Discuss Whistleblower Suits against Bankrupt Businesses

Sometimes, the organization against which a whistleblower brings a claim is in financial trouble by the time the lawsuit is filed. In some cases, bankruptcy proceedings against the company that has been accused of wrongdoing may have already begun. One whistleblower case that is currently in the works involves Altegrity Inc., a parent company, and its bankrupt subsidiary, US Investigations Services (USIS).

Altegrity is the parent company of other businesses besides US Investigations Services. While US Investigations Services is being liquidated through the bankruptcy process, Altegrity plans to keep all of its other businesses in operation. To protect Altegrity’s ability to do this, attorneys for the company have tried to shield the company, its assets, and its leaders against exposure to liability resulting from a whistleblower lawsuit that has been brought against US Investigations Services.

In his whistleblower lawsuit, a former US Investigations Services Employee, Blake Percival, claims that the company was paid tens of millions of taxpayer dollars for work that it never completed, or that it was completed in a substandard fashion. Percival says that US Investigations Services encouraged its employees to essentially dump unfinished security investigations, and to rush through other investigations and mark them as completed as soon as possible in order to obtain maximum compensation. Percival has asked the bankruptcy court judge to refuse to allow US Investigations Services and Altegrity to declare bankruptcy to dodge responsibility for the damage that they have caused. The federal government has announced that it may also seek damages for violations of federal law, and attorneys for the federal government have also asked the bankruptcy court to deny immunity to Altegrity.

Security investigations are an important type of federal government work, and the failure of United States Investigations Services to perform its work properly resulted in several notable errors. For example, it approved Edward Snowden for work at the National Security Agency. It also approved Aaron Alexis for a federal position. Alexis went on to kill twelve people during a shooting at the Washington Naval Yard. The company also exposed multiple thousands of files that contained information belonging to Department of Homeland Security employees during a recent cyber-attack. United States Information Services experienced financial difficulties after the government contracts that had been sustaining it were not renewed, and the company eventually went bankrupt.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Providing Comprehensive Support for Mississippi Whistleblowers

When a whistleblower pursues a claim against a company that is in dire financial straits, they need a strong legal team behind them. The Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC can provide the comprehensive support that you need as you pursue your claim. We understand that you are likely to have many questions and concerns as your case progresses, and we are here to provide you with information and guidance every step of the way. If you have questions about whistleblower lawsuits, please call the knowledgeable and dedicated Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

/by

Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys Describe the SEC Whistleblower Program

In 2010, when the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act became law, there was a great deal of conjecture regarding its future. Would the bounty program succeed? How would the SEC support the program? These and the many other questions that people were asking could only really be answered by the passage of time.

The SEC whistleblower program has now been in effect for over four years. Over fifty million dollars in bounties has been awarded to whistleblowers so far. The SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower has already received thousands of tips from whistleblowers in the United States and at least sixty foreign countries. Additional tips continue to come in, and there is no reason to expect that this will stop any time soon. As long as there are companies that are refusing to correct improper conduct, whistleblower will have a reason to come forward and expose their actions.

While the SEC acknowledges its role in supporting and encouraging whistleblowers, people within the SEC are quick to point out that the program would not be nearly as successful as it is without the whistleblowers. These individuals have enabled the SEC to find and stop ongoing fraud, and even to prevent imminent fraud. The SEC whistleblower program has also resulted in an increase of self-reporting from companies. This is likely due to the fact that  companies are now aware of just how willing people are to come forward after witnessing improper conduct if it is not corrected.

The SEC has proven to be a steadfast advocate for whistleblowers, assigning the highest priority to cases of alleged wrongdoing which allege not only improper conduct, but also, retaliation towards individuals who could expose the wrongdoing. It has also extended its advocacy and protection to people who have experienced retaliation after reporting possible violations internally, without having even taken their concerns up to the SEC. It is expected that the SEC whistleblower program will enjoy continued success, especially as more cases are pursued and the public consciousness of how whistleblowers are protected increases.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Providing Strong Advocacy for Mississippi Whistleblowers

The SEC whistleblower program continues to enjoy success, as more and more individuals feel confident that they can report wrongdoing that the companies that they work for have been alerted to and have refused to correct of their own accord. Reporting improper conduct under the SEC whistleblower program does not guarantee that a whistleblower will receive a bounty, but even without a guarantee of payment, people are continuing to come forward, perhaps because of the support and advocacy that whistleblowers receive from the SEC. If you would like to pursue a whistleblower claim, the Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC know how to provide you with the support you need.  Our attorneys are experienced at handling whistleblower lawsuits, and they can help you pursue your claim.  Call the Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

/by

Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys Say Claim Help Centers Have Closed

The BP oil spill settlement program has made the transition from helping Gulf Coast residents file claims for damages related to the spill to processing the claims that have been filed. As part of that transition, all remaining claimant help centers in Mississippi and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast have closed. The program is now directing all of its resources towards getting the claims resolved in a timely fashion. That is a good thing, because many new claims were filed recently in anticipation of the filing deadline.

Claimants who wanted to participate in the settlement were supposed to file their claims before midnight on June 8, 2015. Claimant help centers were a valuable resource for those who needed help filing claims, and many claims were filed with the assistance of help center staff. Between the time that claims began to be filed as part of the 2012 settlement and mid-April of this year, approximately three hundred and twenty thousand claims have been filed, and five billion dollars’ worth of compensation has already been paid out. As the June eighth filing deadline approached, thousands more claims were filed, with some claimants waiting until the evening of the very last day to file their paperwork. BP officials estimate that by the time all of the claims have been processed, the company will have paid out over ten billion dollars to resolve the claims associated with the spill.

Overall, the claims that have been submitted allege that a wide variety of damages have been caused to both individuals and businesses by the BP oil spill. For example, recreational fishing boat operators experienced a sharp drop in business after the spill, and while business is beginning to pick back up again, it is still not where it had been before the spill. Many business owners who filed claims are concerned that they may not be able to recover, or that they won’t recover much because they were unable to estimate with a great deal of certainty just how much business each of them had lost. Business owners aren’t the only people who filed claims for economic damages related to the oil spill. Some individuals filed claims that were based on being unable to catch fish to eat, stating that fish and shellfish from local waters had been a major part of their food supply prior to the oil spill.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Helping Those Who Have Been Affected by the BP Oil Spill

The Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC have been following all of the latest developments related to BP oil spill litigation as they happen. We are dedicated to helping our Gulf Coast clients resolve their BP oil spill claims. If you have filed a claim that is related to the BP oil spill, we are here to help you.  Call the knowledgeable and experienced BP oil spill attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC today, at 1 (601) 790-1505, to schedule your free, initial consultation.

/by

Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys Discuss Homeowners Association Whistleblower Case

Approximately ten years ago, Wanda Murray and others exposed a scheme that was designed to defraud and take control over multiple homeowners’ associations. According to Murray, she was intimidated and harassed by the people who were involved in the fraudulent activity. Other individuals within her group of condominium owners were also targeted for harassment after they became aware of the improper conduct of those involved in the scheme.

Intimidation is at the heart of this whistleblower case, where some individuals were singled out for public mistreatment as examples of what could happen to any others who dared to speak out. Homeowners’ association meetings were essentially controlled by those involved in the scheme, and armed individuals attended meetings to send a clear message of intimidation. Homeowners who wished to speak out on important issues like the repair of construction defects that were present in their homes did not dare to do so under those circumstances. Construction defect repair and other issues were addressed however the controlling group decided they would be handled. Money from construction defect settlements was stolen by at least one company that was owned by an individual within the controlling group. Badly needed repair work was not done on many of the affected properties and improperly or partially done at others. As a result, homes in the developments that were targeted by the scheme lost value, causing economic damage to the homeowners which totaled in the millions of dollars.

The homeowners’ association control scheme was quite involved, with one of the defendants recruiting straw buyers to purchase properties in condominium developments. He then got those individuals onto the homeowners’ association boards by rigging the elections. With people hand-picked by this defendant in powerful decision making positions, his company secured profitable construction defect repair contracts that were worth over seven million dollars, and then performed minimal work under those contracts. The actual work that was performed was valued at about a million and a half dollars. Subcontractors were also defrauded as part of the scheme. When the scheme was brought down, some homeowners had already lost money. Others just barely escaped from sustaining losses of their own because authorities had been informed of the scheme and stepped in just in time.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Representing Whistleblowers throughout Mississippi

It can be difficult to come forward and expose improper corporate conduct, especially if you have been harassed or intimidated. However, it is important that wrongdoing be exposed so that further fraud does not occur, and so that those who have already been affected can be compensated for their losses. If you would like to learn more about whistleblower lawsuits, the Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC can help you.  Our attorneys understand the whistleblower claims process and we can provide you with the information that you are looking for. To learn more, call our office, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

/by

Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys Talk about Medicare Overbilling Cases

A group of settlements that involves eighteen hospitals in seven different states has arisen out of allegations that the hospitals violated federal law by billing Medicare for psychiatric services that were not medically necessary or even medically reasonable for the patients who received them. Interestingly enough, the hospitals do not admit liability as part of these settlements.

One of the people who will benefit from this collection of settlements is a former employee of a Mississippi hospital. The employee, who has been awarded nearly three and a half million dollars, witnessed illegal billing when he worked as a program director in an outpatient psychotherapy service at the hospital that is now Merit Health Wesley in Hattiesburg. The alleged improper billing occurred between 2005 and 2015. The former employee notified the federal government of the fraudulent billing, and he has pursued whistleblower litigation under the False Claims Act since 2010. The case is still sealed, and there has not yet been government intervention on behalf of the former employee.

The reasons that the psychotherapy services should not have been billed to Medicare include lack of treatment plans and progress monitoring, services provided to patients who did not need them, and a lack of therapeutic focus in the so-called therapy, which has been described as more of a diversion or a recreational endeavor.  Patients who are given services under Medicare should only get the services that address their unique medical needs. When hospitals give patients services that are not warranted based upon their unique set of needs and then bill Medicare that is a fraudulent act. The group of cases involving the Mississippi man who is a former hospital employee is just one of a few similar sets of settlements that have occurred across the nation, exposing a widespread problem of Medicare fraud.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Helping Whistleblowers Expose Wrongdoing in the State of Mississippi

When a health care provider is defrauding the government by overbilling Medicaid, they put the needs of the patient, which are supposed to be their primary concern, behind their desire to make a profit. Patients receive care that is inappropriate for their needs, and providing care that is not needed is a waste of federal funds. Whistleblower lawsuits like the one that is being pursued against the hospital in this article take a lot of time and energy. The brave individuals who file whistleblower lawsuits feel that it is important that they expose the wrongdoing that they have witnessed, so that the company can be held responsible for its actions. If you have seen a business entity breaking the law, the Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC are here to help you.  Our attorneys understand the complexities of the whistleblower lawsuit process, and we will help you pursue the results that you seek. If you have questions about whistleblower lawsuits, please call the experienced and dedicated Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

/by

Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys Discuss West Chester University Whistleblower Retaliation Case

When an individual does the right thing and shares information about violations of the law with the federal government in an attempt to expose fraud, there is always the risk that the whistleblower will face retaliation as the result of his or her actions. Companies are not supposed to retaliate against whistleblowers, and retaliatory action can get them in even greater trouble than the original allegations of wrongdoing.

Colleen Bradley has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against West Chester University of Pennsylvania, alleging that the university keeps misleading financial records. During the course of her work for the University, Bradley uncovered a scheme that took place over at least three years under which millions of taxpayer dollars were misappropriated. She has alleged that she was expected to present false budgets to the state so that the University would continue to receive a certain level of appropriations.

Shortly after Bradley filed the lawsuit, she was notified that her job will be terminated in a couple of months. Prior to that, she had been intimidated, harassed, and otherwise bullied by individuals within the institution. Ms. Bradley’s whistleblower retaliation suit against the university and a few individuals affiliated with the university alleges free speech violations, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and violations of the state whistleblower law.

Retaliation against a whistleblower can take on many forms, including scenarios like the one described above. When an employee who is also a whistleblower is let go, it is possible that they noticed a big difference between when they were at work prior to the whistleblowing and how they were treated after they alerted the government to the problem. From disparate treatment that is not congruent with earlier evaluations, to “special” conditions of employment, it is possible that an employee experiences both direct and subtle types of retaliation after they blow the whistle.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Standing up for Mississippi Whistleblowers  

If after you exposed the wrongdoing of your employer, you experienced any type of retaliation, the Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC are here to help you pursue a whistleblower claim.  Our attorneys know how to guide you through the whistleblower claims process and towards full financial recovery for the various types of losses and damages that you have experienced as a result of your brave actions.  Please call the knowledgeable whistleblower attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

/by

Mississippi Whistleblower Attorney Says SEC Whistleblowers are Not Guaranteed to Collect

In 2010, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) established a whistleblower program. This program promises substantial bounties to those who expose wrongdoing, but some whistleblowers who have assisted the SEC say that the award money is slow to come, if it ever comes at all. A close look at the structure of the SEC whistleblower program gives some hints as to why this may be the case.

The reason for the delays in payment may be that the awards are only paid out on sanctions that are actually collected by the SEC. This means that the SEC must receive the funds from the parties who were sanctioned before the award is calculated and sent to the whistleblower. In some cases, it is possible that some or all of the sanctions may be unavailable for collection due to perpetrators who escape from the jurisdiction of the United States with their money or situations in which the money vanished during the course of the fraudulent activity. The collection requirement of the whistleblower program could also explain why whistleblowers reporting on some of the most commonly reported sources of fraud, including penny stocks, U.S.–listed Chinese stocks, and pyramid schemes, encounter difficulty in collecting payment. Some of the whistleblowers who are waiting for payment have made numerous claims for awards in various fraud cases. Unfortunately, the SEC does not make information readily available regarding whether specific sanctions have been collected, so whistleblowers have no way of knowing whether they should expect payments to be forthcoming.

According to the SEC, over fifty million dollars in awards have been paid out already, with more payments to come as sanctions are recovered. Since the beginning of the whistleblower program, over ten thousand tips have been submitted, three hundred people have applied for bounties, and seventeen payouts have been made. The agency views the program as a tremendous success, and hopes that whistleblowers will continue to expose the frauds that they have witnessed.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Protecting the Rights of Mississippi Whistleblowers

The bounties that are promised by the SEC whistleblower program have attracted a lot of tips from people who are eager to expose wrongdoing that they have encountered. While the structure of the SEC whistleblower program does create some uncertainty about whether and when individual whistleblowers will be paid for their participation in the program, some of the whistleblowers who have not been paid continue to sniff out and expose fraud. If you have witnessed fraudulent business dealings like the types that the SEC whistleblower program seeks to expose, the Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC are here to help you.  Our attorneys are skilled at navigating the complexities of whistleblower lawsuits, including the SEC whistleblower program, and they can help you pursue a successful resolution of your case. Call the knowledgeable and dedicated whistleblower attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

/by

Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys Discuss Government Intervention in ManorCare Lawsuit

The United States government is poised to intervene in a whistleblower lawsuit that has been brought against one of America’s largest nursing home chains, HCR ManorCare. The lawsuit against HCR ManorCare alleges that the company engages in systematic Medicare overbilling, and even worse, pressures administrators to provide inappropriate services to nursing home residents in order to increase profitability.

The lawsuit started in 2009 with a whistleblower lawsuit that was filed by an occupational therapist from northern Virginia. The lawsuit was originally filed under the False Claims Act, which enables private citizens to bring lawsuits on behalf of the United States if they have evidence that tends to show that the government is being defrauded. When claims of this nature are filed, the United States has a choice of whether to investigate them. After the government conducts an investigation, it must decide whether it wants to take over the lawsuit. If the United States chooses to intervene in a case, the whistleblower can collect a percentage of any money that is recovered, but that percentage is slightly less than they would receive if they pursued the matter to completion on their own.

ManorCare denies that there has been any wrongdoing on its part, even after the government’s investigation of the company uncovered a great deal of damaging information. Some of the damaging information is related to the treatment of specific residents, such as the medically fragile eighty five year old man who was supposed to be placed in hospice care but who was instead subjected to a hundred days of rehabilitative therapy, which can be billed at a higher rate, before being placed into hospice care.

When a company is defrauding the government, they expect their employees to cooperate fully with their scheme. This expectation defies the moral sensibilities of many employees, yet some feel powerless to do anything about it, especially in today’s challenging job market. Some employees do take a stand for what is right by taking action to expose the wrongdoing. Whistleblower lawsuits take a lot of time and energy, but they are well worth it when injustices are exposed and companies who have been breaking the rules are held responsible for their actions. Some whistleblowers remain as plaintiffs in their lawsuits until the very end. The United States intervenes in other lawsuits. In either case, the whistleblower receives a portion of any funds that are recovered.

If you are aware of wrongdoing on the part of a corporation or other business entity, the Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC would like to assist you.  Our attorneys understand that whistleblower lawsuits can be complicated, and we are here to guide you through the complexities of your whistleblower lawsuit, towards a result which exposes the wrong actions of a business that is not playing fair. If you have questions about whistleblower lawsuits, please call the experienced whistleblower attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

/by

Mississippi Whistleblower Attorney Discusses the Final Rule for Whistleblower Retaliation Complaints

Last month, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration issued a Final Rule which sets forth the procedures by which specific categories of whistleblower retaliation complaints, namely those which are described in Section 806 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, will be handled by the Administration. The claims covered by the Final Rule may be brought by various classes of employees and contractors, and Section 806 protects them against retaliatory actions by their employers. These retaliatory actions, such as demotions or dismissals, are sometimes taken by companies, against whistleblowers, in connection with the whistleblowers’ actions in reporting violations of Securities and Exchange Commission rules or other laws to the appropriate authorities.

Now that the Occupational Health and Safety Administration has issued its Final Rule, whistleblowers can feel confident that if they experience retaliation after exposing wrongdoing on the part of their employer, the provisions of the new Final Rule support an outcome that will repair the damage that was done by the retaliation. Whistleblowers play an important role in ensuring that companies who break rules will be held accountable for their actions. It is hoped that the Final Rule will help deter companies from taking retaliatory actions against present and future whistleblowers, in addition to offering protection to those who have already experienced retaliation.

Another important feature of the recently issued Final Rule is that complaints may be made verbally. Section 806 complaints used to have to be written, and had to include a full description of the alleged wrongdoing. The Final Rule allows whistleblowers to verbally relate their complaint to an investigator from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, who then reduces the complaint to writing. The Final Rule also provides for the reinstatement of the complainant to their former position while a dispute is pending, or, in the alternative, under the Final Rule, the complainant may collect the same pay and benefits that they would have been collecting in their former position, without having to return to work.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Defending the Rights of Mississippi Whistleblowers

The Final Rule that was recently set forth by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration supports whistleblowers that have experienced retaliation as they went about their quests for justice.  To learn more, or if you have experienced any type of retaliatory action at the hands of your employer, the Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC are here to help you.  Our attorneys are skilled at navigating the complexities of whistleblower lawsuits, and they can help you pursue a successful resolution of your case.  Call the hard working and dedicated whistleblower attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

/by