Virginia (Gia) Grimm and David Bulitt discuss:
Through mediation and many conversations encouraged a former couple involved in a complex custody dispute to reach an amicable arrangement that put the interests of the children to the forefront.
NoVa Company Padded Its Invoices on AV Equipment, Prosecutors Say
A Northern Virginia government contractor and its founder may owe taxpayers more than $37 million for defrauding the U.S. Department of Defense, according to federal prosecutors.
Instead of passing along discounts on audiovisual equipment to the Defense Department, as it had agreed to do, Innovative Technologies, Inc. added hidden markups and kept the difference, prosecutors claimed in a complaint that was filed last week.
The government’s intervention in the matter was revealed today when the case was unsealed at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Lawyers for Humberto Irizarry, the whistleblower and former ITI employee who first drew prosecutors’ attention to the alleged fraud, welcomed the development.
Mr. Irizarry is represented by The Employment Law Group® law firm and Joseph Greenwald & Laake, PA. He filed his initial complaint against ITI under the federal False Claims Act in 2013; since then it has been under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
The FCA, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, makes it illegal to claim payment from the federal government via deception. The law includes a “qui tam” provision that allows whistleblowers to file a complaint on behalf of the U.S. and—if they prevail—to receive a portion of any resulting settlement or judgment.
Under the terms of the FCA, Mr. Irizarry’s lawsuit remained sealed while prosecutors dug into his allegations. This summer the government decided to take the reins and pursue a federal jury trial against ITI and its founder, Mariano Martinez, who is accused of unjust enrichment in addition to fraud; the decision and resulting complaint became public today.
Mr. Irizarry, who was forced out of ITI in 2012 after raising concerns about the company’s dealings, will continue to be involved in the case.
“This vindication has been a long time coming for Bert,” said Janel Quinn, a principal of The Employment Law Group. “As the United States says in its complaint, Mr. Martinez begged him to ‘stick with the story’ and ignore a fraud on taxpayers. He refused, demanding honesty until Mr. Martinez shoved him toward the door. Then he assembled evidence to show to the authorities, and after a deep investigation the U.S. government is supporting his cause.”
“Whistleblowers need courage and patience, and Bert has shown a deep reservoir of both,” said Jay Holland, a principal of Joseph Greenwood & Laake. “Justice is worth the wait, and we’re grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its diligence in this case. FCA cases have a long fuse—this one longer than most—but Bert never lost faith. Now he moves forward with the United States at his side.”
Ms. Quinn and Mr. Holland worked on Mr. Irizarry’s case with Assistant U.S. Attorney Darrell C. Valdez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Case Information
United States ex rel. Irizarry v. Innovative Technologies, Inc.
No. 1:13-cv-00705
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Original complaint filed on May 14, 2013
U.S. complaint in partial intervention filed on Sept. 27, 2023 (available here)
Montgomery County school system settled Damascus sex assault claims with four former JV football players who alleged schools ignored looming threats before teens were assaulted with broomsticks in locker room.
Lindsay Parvis has been selected by The Daily Record as one of Maryland’s Power Players for the 2023 Family Law Power List.
This group is composed of the most significant, influential and respected attorneys in family law.
The Washington Post article quotes Tim Maloney, principal at JGL, regarding this settlement. The article is entitled “Montgomery to pay $9.7 million to settle Damascus sex assault claims.”
Maloney and a JGL team represented one of the four former football players and his family. Maloney credits attorneys Matthew Bryant and Alyse Prawde as well as the rest of the team that contributed to this victory.
Erika Jacobsen White, Principal at Joseph Greenwald & Laake, P.A., commented, “Workers in the U.S., and in particular low wage workers, already face significant risks in bringing forward claims of discrimination when their employers interfere with their FMLA rights.
The lived reality for many workers means that taking the unpaid leave afforded to them under the FMLA, if they qualify at all, is already extremely challenging and can mean financial hardship. The courts should not enact further judicially created barriers to worker rights where none exist in the plain language of the law. Congress was clear that employers should not be permitted to simply claim that they believed that a worker was taking leave for something other than its intended purpose in order to take an adverse employment action against them. To do so will only incentivize employers to further restrict worker rights, and undermine the spirit of the law.”
You can read the entire Law360 article here.
In this episode of JGL LAW FOR YOU, Debora Fajer-Smith and David Bulitt discuss the issues arising around filing for Workers Compensation with rising temperatures and extreme hot weather conditions.
JGL Principal David Bulitt and renowned Family Law practitioner spoke with Angela Stribling’s nationwide radio show Pillow Talk, streaming now on YouTube.
Exactly three years ago on August 31, 2020 – JGL LAW FOR YOU was created to bring you up close and personal with our lawyers who will be discussing how to navigate the many legal processes, developments in the law, other current events, and how they may affect you. We welcome you to join us for our season 3rd season of JGL Law For You, Stay Tuned!
JGL Principal Tim Maloney represents the Prince George’s County airport in their zoning amendment efforts to allow the redevelopment of this airport.
Timothy Maloney, the lawyer for the airport, called the Maryland Supreme Court decision “an extremely important decision for the future of land use development in Maryland in an Article that appeared in The Daily Record.
JGL Principal Lindsay Parvis was featured in the August 24, 2023 issue of The Daily Record in an article entitled “Grappling with the Resistant Child in a Custody Dispute.”
Here, various aspects of child resistance and alienation are discussed in relation to a child’s rejection of a parent in contested custody matters.
