Ethics & Professional Responsibility

RSS Link

The Department of Justice recently announced a landmark Penn State cybersecurity fraud settlement, with the university agreeing to pay $1.25 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations. This October 2024 settlement, which awarded the whistleblower $250,000, highlights two critical compliance failures common throughout the defense contracting industry: misrepresentation of cybersecurity self-assessments and use of…

Whistleblower Law Collaborative is pleased to announce that Boston Magazine has named attorneys Bob Thomas, Suzanne Durrell, Linda Severin, David W. S. Lieberman, and Erica Blachman Hitchings as Top Whistleblower Lawyers of 2024. The list recognizing the honorees is now available.
To compile its guide of the region’s most prominent…

Raytheon Company has agreed to a $950 million settlement with the federal government. The Raytheon settlement resolves allegations including violations of the False Claims Act (FCA), the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and the Arms Export Control Act (AECA).
Raytheon’s Submission of False Claims
According to the press release, Raytheon…

On October 11, 2024, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) took a major step to strengthen its contractors’ cybersecurity. The DoD finalized the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program rule. This new rule significantly changes how the DoD will assess and verify the cybersecurity practices of its contractors and subcontractors a­­cross the defense industrial…

Oak Street Health, a CVS Health subsidiary and primary care center network for Medicare beneficiaries, has agreed to pay $60 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to insurance agents in exchange for referring seniors to its clinics. Whistleblower Joseph Stinson will receive a $9.9 million whistleblower award…

We are pleased to announce that three Whistleblower Law Collaborative members will contribute to panels for esteemed symposiums this month.
Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Ethics and Compliance Congress
Linda Severin will be a panelist at the prestigious 25th Annual Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Ethics and Compliance Congress. Ms. Severin will lend her expertise to a…

Whistleblower Law Collaborative is pleased to announce that its attorneys Bob Thomas, Suzanne Durrell, David W. S. Lieberman, and Linda C. Severin were selected to the 2024 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list.
Super Lawyers Are Peer Nominated
Today Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, reveals its Massachusetts Super Lawyers list for 2024.…

Kelly Shivery, an Advanced Certified Paralegal at Whistleblower Law Collaborative, authored an article published in the September 2024 issue of Facts & Findings, the Quarterly Journal of NALA. Her piece, “False Claims Act 101,” offers a comprehensive overview of the False Claims Act (FCA), covering its origins, the components of a qui tam case,…