Whistleblower & Retaliation Law

If your employer has engaged in unlawful or wrongful activity, the law may protect you from retaliation if you object or refuse to participate in that activity, or report it to proper authorities.  You may also be protected from retaliation because you made a workers compensation claim, had child support deducted from your pay, testified against your employer in a court case, reported child, elder or disabled adult abuse, or numerous other things.  However, before you confront your employer or blow the whistle, if at all possible, consult a lawyer.  There are numerous laws that offer this kind of protection and they are full of technicalities that can leave you without legal protection if not observed.  In some cases, you are protected only if you complain in writing.  In other cases, you are protected if you report the employer to the authorities, but not for internal complaints.  In other cases, you are not protected for reports to authorities unless you reported internally first and gave the employer a chance to correct its conduct.

Also, there are state and federal laws that allow a whistleblower to receive a portion of damages or penalities recovered by the government.  The most well known is the federal False Claims Act, which encourages whistleblowers to report and assist in recovering money lost by the government due to fraud.  There is a Florida state counterpart to this law for fraud against the state of Florida, and most, if not all, states also have counterpart statutes.  Also, the federal securities laws and tax laws have provisions allowing a whistleblower to share in government recovery for securities and tax fraud.   

If you suspect your employer or another company has engaged in substantial fraud or wrongdoing, consult me or another attorney before you do anything.  As with retaliation law, there are numerous technicalities and numerous ways to damage your case.