A whistleblower can be any person that witnesses and reports misconduct by an individual, an organization, or a government entity. Typically, the misconduct involves a violation of any law or regulation.
Whistleblowing cases can involve stock/securities fraud, money laundering, health threats, safety violations, tax evasion, malpractice, corporate corruption, and more.
Each year, hundreds of whistleblower cases are filed and many are settled for millions of dollars. Whistleblower cases are designed to hold public entities accountable while protecting and compensating the victim(s) and/or the whistleblower. Typically, the whistleblower receives a percentage of the lawsuit settlement funds.
Laws and statue of limitations for whistleblowing cases vary. For instance:
• Employees or former employees may have up to 300 days to file a discrimination case against their company.
• Environmental whistleblowers have only 30 days to make a written complaint to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
• Federal employees complaining of violation of civil rights laws have only 45 days to make a written complaint to their equal employment opportunity (EEO) officer.
• Those reporting false claims against the federal government may have up to 6 years to file a civil lawsuit and may redeem 15-30% of the recovered funds under the U.S. False Claims Act.
Well Known Whistleblower Cases
The most noteworthy whistleblower case involved a former FBI official who leaked information about President Richard Nixon's association with Watergate. The informant's identity was kept secret for 30 years until he identified himself in 2005.
In 2001, Vice President of Enron, Sherron Watkins blew the whistle on Enron's major accounting cover-up. The company and its auditors, Arthur Andersen, hid billions of dollars in debt, lied to their shareholders, and avoided paying federal income tax for years.
Depicted in a Hollywood film, The Insider shows the real-life story of how CBS reporters uncovered the malpractice and corruption of the tobacco industry and attempted to push past the corporate politics to have it aired on 60 Minutes.
Other whistleblower cases have involved misconduct in the FBI, the failure of government officials to protect the environment, illegal storage of hazardous waste, dumping of raw sewage and wastewater violations, nuclear accidents, corporate cover-ups, and more.
[
INFORMATION ABOUT WHISTLEBLOWER CASES]
Submit your Whistleblower Case
If you have identified illegal behavior by individuals or groups from a corporation or a government agency, you may qualify for damages or remedies that may be awarded in a possible Whistleblower lawsuit. Submit your complaint below and all of your information will be kept private and confidential, only distributed to this lawyer who specializes in Whistleblower cases.
At LawyersandSettlements.com, it is our goal to keep you informed about important legal cases and settlements. We are dedicated to helping you resolve your legal complaints.
