Much of whistleblower’s Red Cross suit dismissed

? A whistleblower who claims the American Red Cross failed to immediately alert regulators when more than 600 pints of contaminated blood were released in New Jersey saw the bulk of her lawsuit dismissed Thursday in federal court.

Michelle Hoyte also claims the agency fired her for complaining to her managers about the tainted blood. That part of her lawsuit is still intact, but the Red Cross has filed a motion to have that final portion dismissed as well.

After the brief hearing, in which a judge dismissed the False Claims Act portion of her lawsuit, Hoyte said she remained worried that the Justice Department and the Food and Drug Administration are not doing enough to make sure the Red Cross’s blood supply is carefully monitored. Blood banking has become the Red Cross’s biggest moneymaker, bringing in $2.14 billion in revenue in the last fiscal year.

At the hearing, John R. Fleder, attorney for the Red Cross, said the organization and the FDA are actively monitoring the blood supply.