Transparency News, 8/12/2022

 

 

Friday
August 12, 2022

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state & local news stories

 

"Moschetti also claimed her free speech rights were violated and she was wrongfully terminated in violation of a state whistleblower protection law."

A former Virginia employee who investigated claims of misconduct at the Virginia Parole Board can continue pursuing a federal lawsuit against current and former state officials over her politically contentious firing last year, a judge ruled Thursday. Ruling on a motion by defense attorneys to dismiss the civil suit brought by former Office of the State Inspector General investigator Jennifer Moschetti, U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson struck down three of Moschetti’s six legal claims as insufficient. The state itself, the IG’s office and a spokesperson for the IG’s office were removed from the case entirely. But the judge declined to dismiss Moschetti’s defamation claims against two high-ranking officials from former Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration — chief of staff Clark Mercer and public safety secretary Brian Moran — over comments they made denouncing her Parole Board investigation as biased. Those statements can’t be construed as pure opinion, Hudson wrote, and allowing the lawsuit to proceed will shed more light on their validity and context. Moschetti also claimed her free speech rights were violated and she was wrongfully terminated in violation of a state whistleblower protection law. The judge allowed both those counts to proceed.
Virginia Mercury

More than 600 Prince William County employees make in excess of $100,000 a year. With the new fiscal year starting July 1, InsideNoVa requested a list of all county employee salaries through the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The county has 4,347 full-time employees, 347 part-time employees and 1,454 seasonal, temporary or provisional employees.
InsideNoVa

William "Jody" Blackwell did not share why he stepped down as Richmond's interim police chief after just 11 days, but a new court filing reveals Mayor Levar Stoney's account of what led to the decision more than two years ago. The mayor's account of the June 26, 2020, conversation comes in response to allegations in Blackwell's $5 million wrongful termination lawsuit against Stoney and current police chief Gerald Smith, which has advanced despite the city's efforts to have it thrown out. "Outside of court filings and proceedings, the city does not publicly comment on ongoing or pending litigation," Stoney spokesperson Jim Nolan wrote in an email Thursday.
WRIC
 

stories of national interest

 

"The CFTC has awarded nearly two-thirds of all money to tipsters represented by a single law firm."

The federal government is relying more than ever on whistleblowers to sniff out corporate fraud and misconduct. According to a new study from the University of Kansas, the government programs that pay “bounties” to whistleblowers who come forward have, themselves, been hampered by mismanagement, cronyism and abuse. Alexander Platt, associate professor of law, spent the better part of two years battling the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission over a series of Freedom of Information Act requests for information about the whistleblower programs. When he finally prevailed, he quickly saw what the agencies might have been trying to cover up. Among other findings presented in his study, Platt shows that the CFTC has awarded nearly two-thirds of all money to tipsters represented by a single law firm and the SEC had disproportionately favored tipsters represented by former SEC officials.
KU Today

The Air Force said it will no longer take down critical comments from its Facebook page. The decision comes after a former airman sued the service for taking down his less than flattering comment about the Air Force chief enlisted officer. The page now has a disclaimer that states comments will not be removed and users will not be banned. 
Federal News Network (This is the full item)
 

 

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