A string of recent scandals in Silicon Valley has put a spotlight on a serious problem. Women attempting to break into the tech start-up world face pervasive sexual harassment from the male-dominated venture capitalist...
It is beyond dispute that employees who blow the whistle on unlawful conduct should be protected from retaliatory personnel actions. Because these workers often risk their careers to shed light on matters affecting the public...
Third Circuit Declares that New Jersey Whistleblower Protections Are More Than “Skin-Deep”
October 4, 2017
In a recent victory for whistleblowers, a prominent federal appellate court reiterated its expansive interpretation of New Jersey state whistleblower protections when it revived a patent lawyer’s lawsuit against his former...
CFTC Provides More Protection and Broader Eligibility with Changes to Whistleblower Program
September 28, 2017
In the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, Congress established a whistleblower program for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the United States’ primary regulator of commodities, in an effort to encourage whistleblowers...
Yellowstone Cracks Down on Workplace Harassment
September 26, 2017
In late July 2017, Yellowstone National Park’s superintendent announced that he would be taking disciplinary action against 10 Yellowstone employees after an investigation found that female employees at the park had been...
Two Federal Court Cases Highlight the Thin Line between Deception and Fraud
September 21, 2017
Potential whistleblowers often face challenging situations in which they have to discern whether their employer is engaging in fraud. Making the wrong call could cost them the protection of anti-retaliation provisions of...
Court Sends EEOC Wellness Regulations Back to the Drawing Board
September 19, 2017
A recent decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia may eventually lead to a change in the rules on incentives employers may provide to persuade employees to participate in workplace wellness programs....
ARB Says SOX Applies Extraterritorially in Government Contractor Whistleblower Claim
September 12, 2017
On Aug. 29, 2017, the Administrative Review Board (ARB or “the Board”) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued an important decision regarding the extraterritorial application of the anti-retaliation provision of the...
Recent Decisions Clarify the Scope of Dodd-Frank Protections
September 6, 2017
In July, two federal courts threw out whistleblower suits, both ruling that the plaintiffs did not qualify as whistleblowers under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”). The...
A recent study published in the Journal of Accounting Research examines whether the participation of a whistleblower affects the outcome of an enforcement action against companies that commit financial fraud. The study seeks...