Courthouse News Service

Boeing Blew Off The Law, Auditor Says

SEATTLE (CN) – An auditor says Boeing fired him for reporting truthfully that its computer systems failed audits from 2004 through 2006, but Boeing blew off the failures and did not report them because the company insisted “that § 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley law would be repealed.” Just before Boeing fired him, Nicholas Tides says, the company “suffered potentially $5 billion to $15 billion in damages because of defective controls in its computer system.

The federal complaint continues: “Gerald Eastman, a former quality-assurance inspector in Tukwila, took more than 320,000 pages of confidential Boeing documents by exploiting material weaknesses in Boeing’s IT system. Despite the inadequate controls, Boeing’s CFO and CEO have certified annually that Boeing’s internal control over financial reporting is effective.”

Tides seeks lost pay, front pay, reinstatement, an injunction and punitive damages. He is represented by John Tollefsen of Lynnwood.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/11/04/

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