A fired chief operating officer of a nonprofit provider of mental health services may pursue not only whistleblower protection claims but also racketeering claims against employers who, she claimed, had illegally “lured” her into her position at an agency diverting Medicaid funds away from program and into private hands.  A federal District Court in Philadelphia has refused to grant motions to dismiss by several of the defendants.

A ten-year volunteer for the Dallas Symphony has lost his claim for defamation and conspiracy to defame against the Symphony and a local magazine after his termination was reported in the magazine.  An appellate court in Texas has granted their motion to dismiss on appeal from a trial court denial.  But the Court of Appeal said it did not have jurisdiction to grant the Symphony’s motion to dismiss the volunteer’s claim for tortious interference with his employment.

President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order on May 4 intended to protect religious leaders and organizations that speak out on political issues, while the House Oversight Committee held a hearing the same day on legislative proposals to eliminate the prohibition on church participation in election campaigns.