Discovering wrongdoing in your workplace is one of the most stressful situations you can be in. Doing the right thing can put more than just your job at risk, and even being aware of illegal activity can make you a target for retaliation. Fortunately, Tennessee law extends rights and protections to protect whistleblowers. You should be able to come forward about your company’s crimes without great personal risk.
An experienced employment lawyer is your greatest ally in situations like this, helping you bring your information forward and protecting you from retaliation from your employer. Often, a whistleblower case ends up far larger than you alone, so it is important to work with someone who can help bear the strain and ensure justice is served.
A whistleblower is someone within a company who discovers that the company is engaging in illegal activity, like violating employment law or discrimination in the workplace, and makes this known to the public. This is not always on a corporate level, as this can happen within any public or private organization.
Many choose to remain anonymous to avoid retaliation. However, there are plenty of protections in place to ensure the safety and continued well-being of the whistleblower in question.
Healthcare fraud, insurance fraud, and product safety violations are common claims made by whistleblowers. For example, an employee may discover that a vehicle is being produced without following proper safety regulations. There are a number of programs in place to encourage whistleblowing for the benefit of the public.
The federal government has created several programs relating to different industries, with financial incentives to encourage whistleblowing.
The False Claims Act applies to fraud, ensuring protection and offering a cut of any recovery made in the process. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act ensures protection and incentivizes reporting laws violated in manufacturing, packaging, or distributing products.
These are only a few whistleblower laws, all intended to protect and sometimes even reward whistleblowers. However, some of these laws can be complicated, and it may be unclear which apply to you or how to invoke them. A Tennessee whistleblower lawyer has the experience to help you, working within these laws to secure the best outcome while you do the right thing.
With the protections provided by the federal government, it is unlawful for an employer to retaliate against an employee who blows the whistle on their activity. Though retaliation is illegal, it is still a possibility. Whistleblowers are often laid off, demoted, reassigned, or otherwise ostracized when discovered.
However, all of these actions are illegal, and you have government protection to prevent them. There are other ways your employer may seek to retaliate, and not all of them are obvious. It can be hidden within legal activity, making it harder to spot or prove. This is one of the reasons a whistleblower attorney is so important, as they can help you with your retaliation claim.
Damages in whistleblower retaliation cases can be quite substantial, but the statute of limitations is strict. Be sure you know your deadlines and act within these limits.
If you have noticed illegal activity in your company or organization or have blown a whistle in the past and feel you are being retaliated against, you should seek out a lawyer as quickly as possible. There is no reason you should let yourself be punished for doing the right thing, and you are entitled to protection.
Our team with The Law Offices of Christopher Eads is here to help. We are an experienced, top-rated team of criminal defense attorneys here to help whistleblowers protect themselves when blowing the whistle. To learn more about our services, reach out by calling or filling out our online contact form.
