Whistle blowing is when an employee steps forward to ‘blow the whistle’ on an employer who is engaging in suspected illegal activity. The laws in California protect these whistle-blowers. It is illegal for your employer to retaliate against you in the workplace or to terminate you for having reported them to an outside agency. If your employer chooses to retaliate, you may be able to sue for lost wages, emotional distress and punitive damages. It is important that if you have noticed illegal or suspected illegal activity at your place of work, that you follow certain procedures to protect yourself. You should begin by following the procedures of your workplace. If possible, report the activity to your supervisor or even his or her boss if it needs to go to someone else.

If you have good reason to believe the activity is illegal and must be stopped, you should report it to a government or a law enforcement agency. The agency depends on what the illegal activity is. Your employer after this point cannot fire you in retaliation for your claim, whether it proves to be conclusive or not. However, you can still be fired for other reasons. What is important is whether your employer begins to discriminate against you in the workplace because of your whistle blowing, or whether they fire you purely in retaliation for your actions. It is a good idea to keep a record of your actions once you report your employer, and the actions that your employer takes after this period. If you suddenly notice that your pay has decreased, you aren’t being included in meetings, you aren’t being paid for holidays or even that you have lost certain benefits – you may be the victim of retaliation.

If you have blown the whistle on your employer, and you fear that you have become the victim of retaliation or have been fired from your job in response, please call the Law Offices of Law Offices of David H. Greenberg at 1-800-252-9776 for a free initial consultation regarding your rights and how the law can help.