Employers, don’t get played. “This is an employment-at-will state, and I can fire you for a good reason, a bad reason, or no reason at all.” Oh, yeah? Technically, this is true in almost every state, but employers should not count on employment at will as their only defense in an unlawful discharge case. Why? …
The insidious deception that is “employment at will” Read More »
McDonald’s is facing a whistleblower lawsuit from a former worker, who claims she was fired after protesting the fast-food giant’s safety policies during the pandemic. On Friday, Maria E. Ruiz Bonilla filed the whistleblower retaliation suit against McDonald’s in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Santa Clara. Ruiz had …
Federal employees have strong — but not unlimited — whistleblower protections. There is too much at stake if you have built a career working for the U.S. government. Before you report wrongdoing or exercise employment rights, you of course want to be sure you won’t jeopardize your job, your benefits and your career. Namely, it …
What activities are protected from whistleblower retaliation? Read More »
The U.S. Supreme Court is mulling a case with major implications for would-be whistleblowers. At issue is fuzzy language in the whistleblower protections of the Dodd-Frank Act. At stake is the fate of people like Paul Somers, who was fired after he reported wrongdoing, and anyone who might blow the whistle in the future. The …
Dodd-Frank Court Case Could Redefine Whistleblowing Read More »
In the wake of Enron and other corporate scandals that wiped out retirement savings and left millions unemployed, Congress enacted the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), which contains a robust whistleblower protection provision. The whistleblower provision is intended to combat a “corporate code of silence,” which “discourage[d] employees from reporting fraudulent behavior not only to the proper …
Sarbanes Oxley Whistleblower Protection Law at 15 Years: Know Your Rights Read More »
On June 23, 2017, the President signed into law Pub.L. 115-41. The new statute reduces civil service protections for employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA). Pub.L. 115-41 renews the push to cut back VA civil service protections, after the prior attempt under the last Administration saw adverse actions reversed at the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and portions of the statute struck down as …
News from Congress: VA Employees’ Civil Service Protections Slashed Read More »
In 2011, a former executive at Monsanto, a large publicly traded company, raised concerns that the company was violating accounting rules and misstating its earnings. Despite being aware of these issues, Monsanto failed to remedy the accounting violations and continued to misstate earnings. Undeterred, the former executive reported his concerns to the U.S. Securities and …
For me, the most telling moment of former FBI Director Jim Comey’s June 8th testimony occurred early in the hearing, when Mr. Comey choked up as he recalled the White House’s publicly stating that the President had fired him because the “FBI was in disarray.” This emotional display seemed out of character for Mr. Comey. …
Comey’s Testimony Underscores Need for Strong Whistleblower Protections Read More »
This past week, the SEC brought its first enforcement action ever to be based solely on retaliation against a whistleblower. On September 29, 2016, the SEC ordered International Game Technology (IGT) to pay a $500,000 penalty for terminating the employment of a whistleblower because he reported to senior management and the SEC that the …
SEC Orders Company to Pay $500K For Whistleblower Retaliation Read More »
On July 30th, employee advocates across the country will be urging their members of Congress to declare July 30th National Whistleblower Appreciation Day. July 30th is an apt choice for such a day, as it was on that day in 1778 that the Continental Congress passed the first ever law protecting brave employees who wanted …
We Need a National Whistleblower Appreciation Day Read More »
Madeline Messa is a 3L at Syracuse University College of Law. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. With her legal research and writing for Workplace Fairness, she strives to equip people with the information they need to be their own best advocate.
