June 10, 2010: The U.S. Department of Justice announces that Cochlear Americas will pay $950,000 to avoid prosecution for violating the federal Anti-Kickback statute. Former Chief Financial Officer Brenda March had brought a 2004 whistleblower lawsuit against Cochlear Americas documenting that the world's largest manufacturer of cochlear implants made illegal payments to physicians in exchange for referring only Cochlear devices to patients.
November 9, 2009: Swiss hearing aid company Sonova Holding AG expands into cochlear implants by purchasing Advanced Bionics Corporation for US$489 million.
September 14, 2008: Added webpage announcing Congressional passage of ADA Restoration Act (S.3406) restoring provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act that were largely gutted by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions. This new law means that disability must now be determined without regard to any mitigating drugs or devices (such as cochlear implants). The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association refused to take a position on this critical legislation.
December 14, 2007: Added decision by Nova Scotia Department of Health to begin covering bilateral cochlear implants.
November 12, 2007: Added unsealed whistleblower complaint filed against Cochlear Americas by former CFO Brenda March for illegal kickbacks that controlled the referral patterns of physicians and kept the price of cochlear implants so artifically high that many deafened candidates are forced to remain in a world of silence.
November 12, 2007: Added legal challenge to Cochlear Limited's policy of requiring that only English be spoken within the workplace to Cochlear Americas webpage.
October 27, 2007: Added Aetna policy including coverage for bilateral cochlear implants effective October 19, 2007.
October 6, 2007: U.S. Attorney General designate Michael Mukasey added to Disability Hall of Shame for issuing judicial decisions inserting his own narrow definition of disability in place of that established by Congress under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).