Is it Too Late to Bring a Claim of Childhood Sexual Abuse?
Posted January 8th, 2021 by Christine Dunn in Criminal/Sexual Violence, Victims' Rights.
By now, everyone is aware of the allegations of wide-spread child sexual abuse perpetrated over the years by members of organizations like the Catholic Church and the Boys Scouts of America. For too many years, allegations of child sex abuse against these organizations and others were kept quiet. As more and more victims come forward […]
The Impact of the New Title IX Regulations on K-12 Schools
Posted November 25th, 2020 by Christine Dunn in Gender Discrimination and Harassment.
On August 14, 2020, the Department of Education’s final regulations regarding sexual harassment under Title IX went into effect. This marks the final step in a controversial process that began in November 2018, when President Trump’s Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos submitted a proposal to drastically overhaul many aspects of the Title IX guidelines instituted […]
The False Claims Act Protects Whistleblowers from Retaliation
Posted May 6th, 2019 by Christine Dunn in Retaliation Law.
The qui tam provision of the False Claims Act allows private whistleblowers, known as relators, to file suit on behalf of the United States for fraud perpetrated against the federal government. There is certainly an upside to being a whistleblower because, under the False Claims Act, the whistleblower receives a percentage of any recovery that […]
Can You Be Fired For Your Political Beliefs?
Posted July 23rd, 2018 by Christine Dunn in Employment Discrimination.
In today’s political climate, we have all seen how heated political debates can get. A perfectly pleasant Thanksgiving dinner with family can instantly turn hostile once the topic of politics comes up. But what happens when that political fervor carries over into the workplace? Can a private sector employee be fired for his or her […]
Severance Agreements and Waiving Your Rights to Bring Suit Under the False Claims Act
Posted November 27th, 2017 by Christine Dunn in Whistleblower Law.
When presenting an employee with a severance agreement, employers typically insist on very broad releases, waiving any claims the employee may bring against the company. Many employers interpret this broad release language to include whistleblower lawsuits under the False Claims Act. Some severance agreements will even explicitly bar an employee from recovering financially from a […]
Men Can Be the Victims of Sexual Harassment Too
Posted March 15th, 2017 by Christine Dunn in Gender Discrimination and Harassment.
On February 15, 2017, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit against Hidden Hawaii Tours alleging that the President of the company engaged in a pattern of sexually harassing his young employees. Unfortunately, that’s not an uncommon scenario. The difference in this case is that the victims were men. According to the EEOC […]