The United States Supreme Court has extended whistleblower protections to private contractors of public companies. The Wall Street Journal reported on the Court’s March 4, 2014 decision wherein the court, in a 6-3 decision led by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, held that whistleblower protections under the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act extend to private contractors and subcontractors of a public company. The case involved former employees of FMR, LLC (FMR), a group of private companies that contracts to advise or manage public-company mutual funds. ... Read More

Janssen Pharmaceutical, Inc., the division of Johnson & Johnson that developed and marketed the Risperdal antipsychotic medication, has settled a Risperdal lawsuit brought by the State of Montana for $5.9 million.  The Attorney General of Montana had initiated a lawsuit against the manufacturer in 2008 alleging that the company promoted the drug as safe despite having knowledge of a range of dangerous side effects, including diabetes. The settlement terms require Johnson & Johnson to cease any misleading marketing of Risperdal, and... Read More