Whistleblowers Fined $1.6M for Talking to Reporters While Case Was Sealed
Whistleblowers can be fined when a court concludes a whistleblower has violated a court order sealing a case, and in some instances eligibility for an award can be taken away. To understand how the seal operates in a False Claims Act case, it is important to consult an experienced whistleblower attorney. This will help protect you and possibly your whistleblower award. — Shayne Stevenson
"A federal judge in Atlanta has fined two whistleblowers $1.6 million for speaking confidentially to members of the news media about their fraud suit against the nation's biggest banks while it was being investigated by the U.S. attorney and was, by law, under seal. The whistleblowers' contacts with the media did not harm the case, but U.S. Attorney Sally Yates in Atlanta and Assistant Attorney General Stuart Delery in Washington recommended that U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg levy a higher $2.7 million fine for sharing information about the case with an Atlanta television news reporter and his producer. News of the suit remained under wraps at the whistleblowers' request until after it was unsealed in 2011."
