Pinchos Goldberg
Associate
Pinny Goldberg is an associate in the Labor & Employment Law Department. Pinny represents employers in a broad array of matters before federal and state courts, FINRA and other arbitration panels, and administrative agencies, including the EEOC and its state equivalents, and in pre-litigation negotiations. Matters he works on include discrimination and harassment, wage and hour, wrongful discharge, whistleblowing and retaliation, covenants not to compete, breaches of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, and tort and contract claims.
In addition to handling litigation and dispute resolution, Pinny regularly advises clients on a wide variety of employment issues, including drafting, reviewing and revising handbooks and workplace policies. He also addresses questions and concerns related to hiring, wage and hour issues, employee leave, performance problems, terminations of employment, and separation agreements and releases.
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On July 19, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted an employer’s motion to dismiss a SOX whistleblower claim, holding that the Plaintiff—an in-house attorney—failed to allege sufficient facts to show he had an objectively reasonable belief that fraud had occurred. Colesanti v. Dickinson, No. 18-491. Background Plaintiff was an … Continue Reading
On July 18, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania granted a defendant-employer’s motion for summary judgment on a SOX whistleblower retaliation claim, holding that the Plaintiff did not have an objectively reasonable belief that the defendant violated any SEC regulation. Reilly v. Glaxosmithkline, LLC, No. 17-cv-2045. Background Plaintiff worked in … Continue Reading
In a petition for a writ of mandamus filed on April 29, 2019 with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, an unidentified whistleblower who claims to have tipped the SEC to alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) by Teva Pharmaceuticals more than eight years ago asked the court to … Continue Reading
On June 13, 2019, the Fourth Circuit overturned the ARB’s decision in favor of a complainant, ruling that the plaintiff had not engaged in protected activity under the SOX whistleblower protection provision by complaining of a company’s use of a mandatory arbitration policy that allegedly was overly broad. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. v. U.S. Dep’t … Continue Reading
On June 3, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted a defendant-employer’s motion for summary judgment on SOX and Dodd-Frank whistleblower retaliation claims, finding that the alleged whistleblowing did not involve fraud related to a public company. Tellez v. OTG Interactive, LLC, No. 15-cv-8984. Background Defendants operate restaurants and … Continue Reading
On June 3, 2019, the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower announced a $3 million award to two whistleblowers who provided the SEC with information that led it to investigate and successfully bring an enforcement action for securities fraud that affected retail investors. Because the whistleblowers submitted their tip to the SEC jointly, they will share … Continue Reading
On May 8, 2019, the House Committee on Financial Services passed H.R. 2515, the Whistleblower Protection Reform Act of 2019, which would amend Section 922 of Dodd-Frank to extend the statute’s anti-retaliation protections to employees who report alleged misconduct internally. Digital Realty Trust v. Somers H.R. 2515 was proposed in direct response to the U.S. … Continue Reading
On May 24, 2019, the SEC announced payment of more than $4.5 million to a whistleblower who sent an anonymous tip to the company alleging significant wrongdoing and then submitted the same information to the SEC. (The order granting the award can be accessed here.) In connection with this award, Jane Norberg, Chief of the … Continue Reading
This is an update on our previous blog posts regarding the Erhart v. BofI Holding, Inc. case. We previously reported in October 2017 and March 2017 on a whistleblower litigation brought by Charles Erhart, a former Bank of Internet Holding, Inc. (Bofl) internal auditor. In late 2018, the parties filed cross-motions for judgement on the … Continue Reading
On April 29, 2019, Assemblyman Michael Benedetto introduced Assembly Bill A7384, which would amend and significantly expand New York’s whistleblower statute, N.Y.L.L. §§ 740, 741. The identical Senate version of this bill, Senate Bill S3683, was introduced by Senator Brad Hoylman on February 12, 2019. The proposed amendments aim to bolster whistleblower protections for employees … Continue Reading
In an unusual and eye-catching case, a hospital facing a whistleblower lawsuit from a former senior executive under the False Claims Act (“FCA”) has brought suit against that individual, alleging he breached his fiduciary duty by failing to report the unlawful conduct internally and instead using that information as the basis for a whistleblower claim. … Continue Reading
On April 2, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama denied a defendant-employer’s motion for summary judgment on a SOX whistleblower retaliation claim, finding genuine issues of material fact existed as to the basis for Plaintiff’s discharge, whether his complaint qualified as protected activity, and whether he had a reasonable belief … Continue Reading
Per our previous post, the European Parliament and the Member States agreed to adopt new rules that would set the standard for protecting whistleblowers across the EU from dismissal, demotion, and other forms of retaliation when they report breaches of various areas of EU law. According to a press release issued by the European Parliament on … Continue Reading
On March 26, 2019, the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower announced two multi-million dollar awards to whistleblowers who provided the SEC with information that assisted the agency in bringing a successful enforcement action. The larger of the two awards, $37 million, is the SEC’s third-highest award to date, after a $50 million award in March … Continue Reading
On February 28, 2019, a Los Angeles jury issued a verdict of $1.5 million in damages to a former employee who alleged his employer retaliated against him for reporting misconduct in violation of the False Claims Act (“FCA”), 31 U.S.C. § 3730(h), the Defense Contractor Whistleblower Protection Act (“DCWPA”), 10 U.S.C. § 2409, and California’s … Continue Reading
According to data released by OSHA, the number of whistleblower complaints filed under SOX and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (“CFPA”) declined in 2018. OSHA received 45 complaints under the CFPA in 2018 (down 50% from the 90 complaints received in 2017) and 155 complaints under SOX (down from the 186 received in 2017). Whistleblower … Continue Reading
On February 26, 2019, the Ninth Circuit affirmed much of a jury’s approximately $11M verdict finding that a former general counsel was discharged in retaliation for reporting alleged Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) violations. Wadler v. Bio-Rad Labs., Inc., No. 17-cv-16193. Background Sanford Wadler, then the former General Counsel of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (the “Company”) … Continue Reading
On January 8, 2019, the DOL announced Secretary Alexander Acosta’s appointment of three new members to the Administrative Review Board (ARB), filling vacancies that had been open for months, and marking the first appointments to the ARB of the Trump Administration. The ARB issues final agency decisions on behalf of the Secretary of Labor in … Continue Reading
On December 21, 2018, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California stayed a plaintiff’s whistleblower retaliation claim under SOX (which was not subject to mandatory arbitration) while granting a motion compelling arbitration of the plaintiff’s remaining employment discrimination and retaliation claims. Anderson v. Salesforce.com, Inc., No. 18-cv-06712-PJH. Background Plaintiff alleged that he … Continue Reading
In one of the first cases to address the standard governing a motion for summary judgment in a Dodd-Frank whistleblower retaliation case, Judge Jed S. Rakoff ruled that two former executives of Vista Outdoor Inc. (the Company) had failed to show that their terminations were causally connected to vague complaints about internal Company controls. Vista … Continue Reading
In Westawski v. Merck & Co., No. 14-cv-3239 (E.D. Pa. Oct. 18, 2016), the Eastern District of Pennsylvania granted Defendant Merck & Co. (Company) summary judgment on Plaintiff Joni Westawski’s (Plaintiff) SOX whistleblower retaliation claim, concluding that her purported belief that the Company violated securities laws was not objectively reasonable.… Continue Reading
On December 15, 2015, the District of Connecticut refused to dismiss a SOX whistleblower retaliation claim, ruling that: (1) the heightened Rule 9(b) pleading standard for fraud claims does not apply to SOX whistleblower retaliation claims; and (2) to plead a “reasonable belief,” a SOX whistleblower plaintiff needs to show that her claim at least approximately … Continue Reading
On November 16, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of the Whistleblower (“OWB”) released its fifth Annual Report on the Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Program to Congress, which details information on OWB’s activities and bounty payouts for the fiscal year, as described in our posts on the 2012, 2013 and 2014 Annual Reports. In its 2015 … Continue Reading
On November 5, 2015, the District of Kansas dismissed a whistleblower retaliation claim under Dodd-Frank, ruling that the statute’s anti-retaliation provision only protects individuals who report securities violations. Azim v. Tortoise Capital Advisors, LLC, Case No. 13-cv-2267.… Continue Reading
District of Rhode Island Dismisses In-House Attorney’s SOX Whistleblower Claim for Lack of Protected Activity
By Steven J. Pearlman, Pinchos Goldberg and Tony S. Martinez on Posted in SOX Whistleblower Decisions
Eastern District of Pennsylvania Grants Summary Judgment on SOX Claim
By Lloyd B. Chinn, Tony S. Martinez and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in SOX Whistleblower Decisions
Whistleblower Challenges Delayed Bounty Award
By Lloyd B. Chinn and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in SEC
4th Circuit Vacates ARB SOX Whistleblower Decision for Lack of Protected Activity
By Steven J. Pearlman, H. Ren Morris and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in SOX Whistleblower Decisions
SDNY Dismisses SOX and Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Claims Against Private Company
By Steven J. Pearlman, Jacob L. Hirsch and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in Dodd Frank, SOX Whistleblower Decisions
SEC Awards Joint Whistleblowers $3 Million Even Though Information Was Not Voluntarily Given
By Steven J. Pearlman, Annabel Pollioni and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in SEC
House Financial Services Committee Passes Bill to Expand Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Protection to Internal Whistleblowers
By Steven J. Pearlman, Philippe A. Lebel and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in Dodd Frank, Legislation
SEC Awards Whistleblower More Than $4.5 Million
By Lloyd B. Chinn and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in SEC
Update on Bofl SOX Whistleblower Litigation
By Lloyd B. Chinn, Pinchos Goldberg and Annabel Pollioni on Posted in SOX Whistleblower Decisions
Expansive Amendments to New York Whistleblower Protection Law Introduced
By Lloyd B. Chinn and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in Legislation, State-Specific Whistleblower Claims
Hospital Sues Whistleblower for Failing to Report Information And Choosing Instead to Use As Basis for Claim
By Steven J. Pearlman and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in False Claims Act
Alabama Federal Court Denies Motion for Summary Judgement on SOX Whistleblower Claim
By Steven J. Pearlman, Pinchos Goldberg and Samantha Shear on Posted in SOX Whistleblower Decisions
The European Parliament Approves EU-Wide Standard for Whistleblower Protection
By Erika C. Collins, Daniel Ornstein, Lloyd B. Chinn, Pinchos Goldberg and Vanessa P. Avello on Posted in Legislation
SEC Awards $50 Million to Two Whistleblowers
By Lloyd B. Chinn and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in SEC
LA Jury Awards Whistleblower $1.5 Million
By Steven J. Pearlman, Kate Gold and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in False Claims Act, Verdicts
Whistleblower Complaints Down in 2018
By Lloyd B. Chinn and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in OSHA Administration
Ninth Circuit Affirms Most of Jury Verdict in Former GC’s SOX Whistleblower Lawsuit
U.S. Department of Labor Appoints Three New Members to the ARB
By Lloyd B. Chinn and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in Key ARB Decisions, Uncategorized
California Federal Court Stays SOX Claim Pending Arbitration of Related Claims
By Lloyd B. Chinn, Pinchos Goldberg, Tony S. Martinez and Steven J. Pearlman on Posted in SOX Whistleblower Decisions
S.D.N.Y. Dismisses Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Retaliation Claim
By Steven J. Pearlman, Harris Mufson and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in Dodd Frank
E.D. Pennsylvania Limits Protected Activity Under SOX
By Steven J. Pearlman, Harris Mufson and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in SOX Whistleblower Decisions
Connecticut Court Clarifies SOX Whistleblower Pleading Standard
By Steven J. Pearlman and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in SOX Whistleblower Decisions
Highlights of SEC’s 2015 Annual Whistleblower Report
By Lloyd B. Chinn, Harris Mufson and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in SEC
Kansas Court Dismisses Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Claim for Failure to Complain of Securities Violations
By Steven J. Pearlman and Pinchos Goldberg on Posted in Dodd Frank
