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Early win in OC 'whistleblower' case over COVID-19 testing sites
File photo of a COVID-19 test underway.
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Mario Tama
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Getty Images
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Topline:
A whistleblower lawsuit alleging fraud by the company that ran Orange County’s COVID-era testing “super sites” could get a public airing after a judge’s ruling today.
The backstory: A former employee of 360 Health, which operated two massive COVID-19 testing operations for the county during the pandemic, has accused the company of retaliation in a lawsuit. She says she was wrongfully terminated after she refused to help the company carry out illegal billing and referral practices.
What was the hearing about? Lawyers for the company had argued that the former employee, Laura Garcia, signed an agreement upon employment requiring disputes to be handled through arbitration, not the courts. The judge ruled against the company’s motion to compel arbitration.
What’s next? The court case will continue to make its way through O.C. Superior Court. Garcia initially asked for a jury trial but it’s unclear whether the case will get to that stage, or be settled out of court.
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