Penn State Agrees to $1.25M Settlement in Novel 'Cyber-Whistleblower' Suit
The university was accused of failing to comply with cybersecurity requirements in 15 contracts involving the Department of Defense or National Aeronautics and Space Administration between 2018 and 2023.
October 23, 2024 at 05:14 PM
4 minute read
The Pennsylvania State University settled a false claims suit against it for $1.25 million, amid allegations it failed to comply with the Department of Defense and National Aeronautics and Space Administration's contractual cybersecurity requirements.
The settlement order in U.S. ex rel. Decker v. Pennsylvania State University was issued Wednesday, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the matter stems from a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, with the settlement providing a $250,000 share for Matthew Decker, a former chief information officer for the university's applied research laboratory.
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