September 05, 2012
A former Iowa State University employee who informed his bosses about suspected theft by a school director and then was harassed by his superiors, was awarded $1.25 million in what news reports called the first case tried under Iowa’s whistleblower statute. Dennis Smith, who worked in the ISU…
September 01, 2012
Among the latest product recalls announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are the following products:
Sears Recalls Kenmore Dehumidifiers (Fire and Burn Hazards - 795,000)
Stage and Riser Caddies Recalled by Midwest Folding Products (death hazard - 5,300)
Midas Lin Co.,…
August 29, 2012
Injuries and fatalities caused by police vehicles occur with alarming frequency. Such was the case in the summer of 2010 when a speeding K-9 unit crashed into a motorcycle stopped at a light in Indianapolis. The rider, Eric Wells, 30, was killed. After nearly two years, the city settled a lawsuit…
August 22, 2012
One of the largest settlements in recent years of a case against a drug manufacturer will net four former sales reps for Abbott Laboratories a share of an $84 million whistleblower reward. The four helped the government in a case involving the illegal promotion of the drug Depakote for unapproved…
August 15, 2012
Motorcycles, though fun to ride, continue to be a most dangerous mode of transportation. A report commissioned by the Governors Highway Safety Association has found that while overall highway accident deaths have been on the decline, the same is not true for motorcycle riders. Data for 2011 showed…
August 12, 2012
Among the latest product recalls announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are the following products:
GE Recalls Dishwashers Due to Fire Hazard (1.3 million)
Children's Pajamas Recalled by My Clothes Due to Violation of Federal Flammability Standard (1,100)
Patio Bistro…
August 08, 2012
Injuries due to premises liability can happen to anyone and anywhere – almost always when least suspected. Such was the case during the Tony Awards in 2009 when rock singer Bret Michaels was struck on the head by a falling piece from the stage set. The incident happened after Michaels and his band…
August 01, 2012
Lynn Szymoniak couldn't have known on one fateful day back in 2008 that she would be rich in a few years. But her actions led to the uncovering of widespread fraud on the part of some of the country's biggest banks and, ultimately, a very large whistleblower reward for citizens who helped bring the…
July 25, 2012
Birth injury case brings large verdictBirth injuries due to doctor or hospital negligence are all too common. In yet another large award made to the family of an injured baby, a jury in Virginia recently handed down a $9 million verdict for a newborn who suffered cerebral palsy and damaged kidneys…
July 15, 2012
Charlene Whalen’s doctor prescribed methadone to help her deal with chronic back pain. But the dosage, according to testimony in a trial three years later, was too high. In the middle of the night, the 49-year-old Maine woman stopped breathing in her sleep and suffered brain damage resulting from…
July 10, 2012
Two whistleblowers who once worked for a radiation clinic will get a piece of a $3.8 million settlement the company agreed to pay to resolve a false claims investigation. Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia had been accused of overbilling Medicare for treatments provided to prostate cancer patients and…
July 08, 2012
Among the latest product recalls announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are the following products:
Target Home Bunny sippy cups (injury hazard - 264,000)
Christmas Tree Shops Farm Glass & Metal spiral tea light holders (fire hazard - 6,200)
Manhattan Group LLC,…
July 07, 2012
Maria Garcia underwent surgery to remove her thyroid and parathyroid glands in her neck but she never recovered from surgery. It turned out that during the procedure the anesthesiologist failed to realize the patient’s breathing tube had moved, preventing the 66-year-old woman from breathing on…
July 01, 2012
Don’t tick off the library clerk. Or at least not Diane Boerman. She was the California woman who told her bosses at the Sacramento Public Library Authority that something seemed fishy about the agency’s billings for maintenance projects. But her boss ignored her and, worse, she claimed that she…
June 24, 2012
It began with a migraine. It ended in a nightmare. In late 2006, Robyn Frankel entered the Stanford Hospital & Clinics in California where doctors ordered an angiogram to investigate an abnormal vein in Frankel’s brain to try to determine the cause of her headaches. When dye for the angiogram…