Whistleblowing: Worker Gets $37 Million For Turning In Employer

A recent case dramatically illustrates the financial incentive employees have to blow the whistle on their employer. A federal judge has awarded $24 million to Robert Merena, a former SmithKline Beecham billing analyst who charged that the company defrauded the government by billing for unauthorized and unnecessary lab tests under Medicare and other government programs. The $24 million was in addition to $12.9 million Merena had already received in the same case. SmithKline ultimately paid the government $325 million to settle the case.