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• Author: Mildenberg, David
• Position: NC TREND: Western Region - Brief article

Blowing a whistle on bad manufacturing practices at Baxter Healthcare's 2,000-employee plant in Marion took a courageous stand by Chris Wall, an employee with 37 years' experience at the site. In 2011-12, he told plant managers about mold on discolored air filters near machines filling 60,000 bags of sterile intravenous solution a day. When no action was taken over the next year, Wall went to Charlotte lawyer Tony Scheer, leading to a complaint in January 2013 alleging that Baxter had caused the government to pay for improperly made IV bags used for patients with Medicare, Medicaid or military health insurance.

The case was settled in January when Baxter agreed to pay more than $18 million to resolve its liability in an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department. Wall received about $431,500 under the federal whistleblower law. While a federal investigation revealed no evidence of tainted products, Baxter fired several managers and instituted new compliance processes.

It could have been a much costlier outcome for Baxter because the government only pressed for compensation...