Whistleblower Termination
Dec. 12, 2018
The concept of whistleblowing is not something new in the United States. Since its inception, the US has embraced and promoted a culture of civic and public responsibility in order to protect the interests of the general public. In the modern corporate culture, whistleblowing happens to be an important aspect, which helps the US government to recover billions of dollars per annum in illegal profits and illegitimate funds.
What Is Whistleblowing?
Whistleblowing is an act of disclosing illegal conduct at work that is in violation of regulations applicable to the company or laws prevailing in the jurisdiction. For instance, if an individual reports fraudulent activity such as money laundering, shareholder fraud, dangerous products, or tax evasion, it can be referred to as whistleblowing.
Whistleblower Termination
Under the Whistleblowing Act, an employer is prohibited from firing an employee for whistleblowing on certain illicit, illegal, and unethical activities. As per this statute, if an employee has reasonable grounds to believe that they need to disclose certain information, which may be deemed as a violation of a state or federal law to appropriate authorities, then the employer must not retaliate against that employee.
The Whistleblowing Act along with many other statutes applicable to a business entity protects employees from potential consequences of exposing the fraudulent activities by ensuring anonymity, confidentiality, and protection, if necessary. For instance, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act includes whistleblower protection for employees who disclose shareholder fraud or financial discrepancies and irregularities, among other illicit activities taking place in an organization.
If you are asked to engage in an illegal transaction or business conduct and the refusal costs you losing your job, then you may have a solid claim for wrongful termination. Some examples may include refusing to conceal material information from the auditor, filing incorrect tax returns, or perhaps authorizing an illegal financial transaction. If any of these or similar type of incident occurred at your workplace and you lost your job for not facilitating their illicit behavior, then you should seek legal counsel from an experienced wrongful termination lawyer.
Your wrongful termination lawyer can help you to obtain a rightful compensation by filing a retaliation or whistleblowing case against your employer. The damages may include back payment, reinstatement or front payment, out-of-pocket losses, and costs related to legal proceedings. In some cases, a competent wrongful termination lawyer may also be able to seek punitive damages, and bounty for protecting the public interests, which are mostly a percentage of total sanction against the employer.
If you want to know more about this subject or want to schedule a free consultation with an experienced wrong termination lawyer, it is highly recommended for you to contact the Law Office of Michael Smith.