Nichols Kaster proudly celebrates its client, Dr. Rayme Edler, who was awarded The Anti-Fraud Coalition's (TAF) Whistleblower of the Year Award for her tireless commitment to patient safety and ethical practices within Escambia County's Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
Dr. Edler, an emergency room physician, has devoted her life to serving others in their times of need. After she started working as the County’s EMS Medical Director, she discovered severe and pervasive training deficiencies for the paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) that provided care to patients through the County’s ambulance service. EMS leadership had, for years, been handing out false and fraudulent training records to these medical professionals. After learning of this fraud, Dr. Edler tried to correct the training deficiencies by reaching out to County officials. But, instead of correcting these errors, County officials worked to coverup the fraud and isolate and denigrate Dr. Edler.
In her pursuit of accountability, Dr. Edler faced relentless retaliation, including wrongful termination while on FMLA leave. But she continued to fight for what was right, hiring Jonathan Kroner Law Office, the Law Offices of Darth M. Newman, and Nichols Kaster to represent her in a lawsuit against the County. Her courageous actions led to the arrest of EMS leadership, and after four years of litigation and several mediation sessions, Dr. Elder settled her retaliation claims for $950,000 and the qui tam claim for $3.5M. The County also paid $1.5M in attorney’s fees and costs.
Nichols Kaster commends Dr. Edler for her extraordinary bravery and commitment to justice and integrity in the medical field. Her actions demonstrate the power of whistleblowing in combating fraud and ensuring the safety of our communities.