LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 15, 2006) - Dennis LeFan of Fredonia, Ky., along with six other employees of the General Electric plant in Madisonville, Ky., received the 2006 Consumer Safety Award from the Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys at the KATA annual convention in Louisville.

Mr. LeFan was represented in a qui tam relators' suit, United States ex rel. LeFan, et al. v. The General Electric Company, et al., by Volkema Thomas Atty. Fredrick M. (Rick) Morgan, Jr.  The case was settled for $11,500,000 last year and resolved allegations set out in a 115-page Civil Complaint.  The case was pending for six years prior to its settlement.

In addition to Mr. LeFan, the Kentucky Trial Lawyers named as 2006 Consumer Safety Award recipients Kentuckians Jason Gibson of Henderson, Jeff Ashby of Slaughters, Elsworth Cranor of Crofton, Harold Dilback of Providence, Keith Lax of Princeton and Suzy Barnett of Madisonville.  The Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys is an organization dedicated to advocating civil justice for those who have suffered injury or negligent damage.

The General Electric plant of Madisonville is a manufacturer of components of GE jet engineers that are used in United States military aircraft (including Air Force One), vessels and generators.  The Whistle Blower action was brought against the company by the seven employees for unsafe manufacturing methods that could have caused potentially catastrophic losses.