Civil Plaintiff
A Federal Judge Awards $1 Million in a Whistleblower Lawsuit Against an Alabama Transit Authority
A U.S. District Court judge said the Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority must pay $1,080,000 based on a False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuit filed by a former employee and former board chair alleging the agency didn’t comply with all federal regulations regarding grant funding from the Federal Transit Authority.
The jury found damages to the U.S. government in the amount of $360,000, which was tripled by U.S. District Judge Corey L. Maze, as required by the FCA.
According to the FCA statute, the whistleblowers – ex-employee Starr Culpepper and attorney O. Tameka Wren – are entitled to receive up to 25% of the award, or $270,000. They would share that amount.
