United States ex rel. Roby v. The Boeing Co. (S.D. Ohio)
Ann Lugbill investigated and filed the False Claims Act lawsuit for Arkansas quality control inspector Brett Roby. The claims against Roby's employer and Boeing, the prime contractor, resulted in a settlement of $65 million. Mr. Roby blew the whistle on what he believed were defects in critical rotating parts used by the United States military on Chinook helicopters. Several Chinook helicopters were involved in crashes.
As the 2006 Seattle Weekly News in Death by Chopper commented:
Was Boeing so corporately callous that it hid production flaws even at the risk of soldiers' lives? That was the basic legal posit of Roby.... A partial answer for him comes from Justice Department official David Ogden, who says the alleged fraud "demonstrates the tragic consequences that can occur when faulty parts are sold to the Defense Department. The lives of our service members, not only dollars, are at stake."
06/04/2014