United States ex rel. Gravitt v. General Electric Co. (S.D. Ohio)
Whistleblowing pioneer Jack Gravitt's case was filed by Ann Lugbill in October 1984 in Cincinnati, reporting time card cheating at the General Electric Aircraft Engine plant in suburban Cincinnati. A machinist by trade, as a foreman at the plant, the late Jack Gravitt found supervisors using felt tip pens to cover up hourly workers' accurate reporting of jobs they worked on, such as the B-1 bomber. GE's falsified time cards were then used to falsely bill charges to the United States Air Force and other military programs.
In 1985, Ann Lugbill, then very pregnant with her first child, escorted Jack Gravitt to Washington, D.C. to testify before Congress about the need for changes in the False Claims Act and why anti-retaliation protections were so important for whistleblower employees. Jack Gravitt's testimony became part of the legislative history of the False Claims Act and still guides judges and lawmakers today. Jack's case settled in 1989 for $ 3.5 million, along with those of several other GE whistleblowers.
06/04/2014