A former general counsel of Bio-Rad Technologies has filed a claim in California that he was wrongly fired for reporting allegations of bribery in China to the company's' auditors Ernst & Young. The company paid $55 million in fines for FCPA violations to the SEC and Department of Justice in 2014 after self-reporting that international employees and agents had made improper payments to officials in Russia, Thailand and Vietnam over the sale of medical diagnostic equipment. However, Mr Wadler was also convinced that sales in China should be investigated. He was 'abruptly fired' by the board in 2013 after being kept out of the investigation, he claims.
Reinstatement
Mr Wadler is looking for two years of back pay with interest, and punitive damages for emotional distress as well as reinstatement. He is represented by Michael von Loewenfeldt with Kerr and Wagstaffe. Neither Bio-Rad nor Mr Wadler's lawyer Michael von Loewenfeldt of Kert and Wagstaffe commented.
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