a few weeks before she died silkwood herself had been contaminated. condition, she had taken sedatives. local authorities ruled the drugs may have caused her to fall asleep at the wheel the night of her accident. but some people believe silkwood may have been deliberately run off the road. after more than a dozen investigations no criminal charges were brought in the case, and kerr-mcgee was cleared of most of the safety violation questions. >> despite the suspicions around her death, the company that ran that plant, kerr-mcgee, was never implicated in karen silkwood's death. but her family and her co-workers took up her cause. she became basically a folk hero for people standing up to powerful interests, standing up for employees in dangerous situations, standing up for people trying to reform the nuclear industry. meryl streep and cher starred in a really excellent movie about karen silkwood that a lot of people remember. in the wake of the car crash and the allegations that karen silkwood had evidence to expose unsafe working conditions at the plan

nuclearen nuclearen -- nuclear industry whistle blower, karen silkwood. >> reporter: a former executive left the controversial herbal life company in 2011, borquist was ready to put himself in jeopardy to reveal the ethical short comings of the nutrition products company. he told us his legal bills and travel were being paid by one of the company's wall street critics but wasn't receiving any other benefit. >> no. >> reporter: not at all? >> nothing. i am not getting a benefit. >> reporter: we learn there was something he did not tell us. this secret deal with herbalife wall street critic, a financial cushion, that could pay him as much as $250,000 a year for ten years, if he lost his new job for talking to the media or the government. with other benefits, a potential total value of $3.6 million. we're not paying him for what he has to say. >> reporter: you did pay him? you don't think that is a problem. >> it is important it is disclosed an important fact. >> but they only disclosed the deal after questions were raised in this "the new york times" story about ackman's financial ties to