Michael DeKort can finally acknowledge that he filed a whistle-blower lawsuit almost three years ago against his former employer, Lockheed Martin Corporation. The complaint had been kept under seal while the U.S. Department of Justice investigated DeKort’s claims that Lockheed and codefendant Northrop Grumman Corporation botched a job for the U.S. Coast Guard. But the judge who had been granting the Justice Department’s requests for more time finally decided that enough was enough, and unsealed the complaint in June.
A Lockheed spokesman says that an internal investigation determined that DeKort’s claims were baseless, and that the company plans a “vigorous” defense. A Northrop spokeswoman declined to comment. While the Justice Department may still join the suit, it only does so in a minority of whistle-blower cases. At press time a department spokesman said it hadn’t made a decision.
