Whistleblower Retaliation

Whistleblower Cases and Retaliation

California Whistleblower Lawyers

• Do you know of illegal activities occurring in your workplace?
• Have you reported illegal activities on the job?
• Are you worried about retaliation from your employer?

Reporting fraud, safety violations or other illegal activities on the job is known as "whistleblowing." In California and across the nation, there are laws that forbid employers from retaliating against a worker who reports illegal activities.

If your employer retaliated against you after you reported illegal activities, fraud, safety violations or other worker abuses, we can help. Contact the Fresno law office of W.J. Smith & Associates. We represent employees in employment law disputes with large and small companies across northern California.

Know your rights! Talk to a California whistleblower lawyer by calling 559-432-0986 or 916-551-1556.

What Kinds of Problems Do Whistleblowers Report?

Whistleblowing cases involving Medicare billing fraud are sometimes called "qui tam" cases. These are some of the other the most common types of illegal activities or abuses that are reported:

• OSHA safety violations, including failure to provide required protective equipment
• Criminal activities committed by a business, such as fraud, misuse or misappropriate of government funds (Medicare and Medicaid fraud are common, as well as problems with defense contractors)
• Sarbanes-Oxley violations

The employment law attorneys at W.J. Smith & Associates work to protect employees, managers, accountants and inspectors in whistleblower cases.

What Counts as Whistleblower Retaliation?

Whistleblower cases are very sensitive and carry some risk to the employee who blows the whistle on theft and misconduct. For this reason, the identity of the whistleblower will be confidential for much of the case. Once a whistleblower's identity becomes known, some have experienced retaliation, such as:

• Firing, demotion or job reassignment
• Having job duties changed, being given a position with less authority or responsibility
• Receiving an unfair performance review and being subjected to a different standard of performance than other, similar employees
• Harassment

As your attorney, we will review the evidence of your case to establish the link between your whistleblower activity and negative actions on the part of your employer. Our firm has handled hundreds of employment law cases. We are prepared to take your case to trial to get you the compensation you deserve.

Contact an experienced California employment lawyer at W.J. Smith & Associates when you need someone to protect you.