It takes immense bravery to speak up and hold your employer accountable to the law when that employer is engaging in illegal activity, like fraud or unsafe workplace practices. Employees should be free to report such activity, and it is illegal to retaliate against employees for doing so. But whistleblower retaliation is common, and we are here to help you fight back against it.

We have successfully represented numerous whistleblowers against both private and public employers, and we know what it takes to navigate the complex federal and state statutes that govern this field of law.

Whistleblower Protections:

The Whistleblower Protection Act protects federal employees against retaliation for reporting illegal or abusive practices by government employers. The National Defense Authorization Act provides similar protections for employees who work for federal contractors or companies that receive federal funding.

In certain types of whistleblower actions, federal agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), may provide significant financial awards to employees who assist those agencies in investigating and prosecuting the laws and regulations enforced by those agencies, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Act.

Whistleblowers against private employers may have protections under their state’s common law system (which is developed by state courts) and may be eligible to bring claims for “wrongful discharge” or “wrongful termination in violation of public policy.”

Many additional whistleblower protections, including industry-specific laws, are provided for under federal, District of Columbia, and state laws.