Qui Tam Settlement; Whistleblowing British Nurses Need More Protection

Just some general whistleblower news today. First, in response to a qui tam action brought by a whistleblower, a national defense contractor has settled with the federal government for overcharging the Air Force for aircraft parts and other services.  

In England, an editorial in the British Medical Journal, a highly influential medical publication in that country, is urging for health workers to be granted stronger whistleblower protections, in light of a major whistleblower case involving nurses who exposed rampant hospital wrongdoing and mistreatment of patients.

Last, although President Obama has criticized the way that the Bush administration invoked the “state secrets” privilege, a federal judge is criticizing the president’s use of it in a California courtroom (in a case involving and Oregon charity and warrant-less wiretapping). The way in which the Obama administration responses may signal how it intends to use the privilege in the future.  

-- Dylan Blaylock