Former Avaya Government Solutions Employee Claims He Suffered Retaliation and Termination for Blowing the Whistle on Unauthorized Security Practices

According to Law360, a former employee of Avaya Government Solutions, William Holowecki, recently filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Avaya in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Mr. Holowecki alleges that Avaya terminated his employment in retaliation for revealing what he claims were fraudulent reports that Avaya sent to federal agencies, in violation of the False Claims Act.

Mr. Holowecki alleges that Avaya eliminated his position as an information systems security officer in retaliation for his discovery and reporting of false reports that Avaya allegedly made to a government contractor relating to unauthorized access to restricted facilities at Avaya’s Virginia location.  Holowecki alleges that Avaya’s failure to report the security violations was in violation of its government contracts and, as a consequence, resulted in the government paying claims under the false information – a violation of the False Claims Act.  Mr. Holowecki’s suit also claims that Avaya fired him because of his refusal to allow unauthorized employees access to classified information.

In addition to claiming that Avaya terminated his employment because of his protected activities as a whistleblower under the FCA, Holowecki also claims that the company violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) by replacing him with a younger and allegedly less-qualified employee.

Mr. Holoweck is seeking reinstatement to his prior position, as well as back pay and damages.  Mr. Holowecki is represented by attorneys at The Employment Law Group® law firm.

The Employment Law Group® law firm focuses in the areas of employment law and whistleblower protection law, has helped many clients file suit against employers that fraudulently billed the U.S. government, and has established favorable precedents under the retaliation provision of the False Claims Act.

Tagged: False Claims Act (FCA), P.C., The Employment Law Group, P.C., Whistleblower Laws (Federal)