Whistleblower Lawyers in the USA

A "whistleblower" is someone who reports a violation of the law by his or her employer. The violation may be against the reporting employee, as with sexual harassment claims, or may be a general violation like illegally polluting, securities violations, etc. While the law is supposed to protect people for doing the right thing, often whistleblowers are fired after reporting the inappropriate situation. So what should you do if you have been fired after blowing the whistle?

Sexual harassment is usually defined by Courts and employers using the definition of sexual harassment contained in the guidelines of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This language has also formed the basis for most state laws prohibiting sexual harassment. The guidelines define sexual harassment as:

A recent study found that the federal government pays a significant amount of money, for Medicare fraud, to for-profit nursing homes.

Blowing the whistle on fraud that is committed at the expense of U.S. taxpayers is, generally, governed by the federal False Claims Act. The Act allows a private citizen to step into the shoes of and pursue a claim on behalf of the government.

Although off-label prescription drugs are involved in many False Claims Act cases, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals recent decision looks unlikely to have any major impact on whistleblower lawsuits.

There are risks to blowing the whistle on illegal, corrupt or fraudulent business practices, but there are also protections and incentives built into the process as well.

The False Claims Act was designed to provide an award to encourage potential whistleblowers to come forward and take steps to stop the waste of taxpayer dollars.

Employment Discrimination laws seek to prevent discrimination based on everything from race and sex, to religion and physical ability. A growing body of law also seeks to prevent employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Discriminatory practices include bias in hiring, promotion, job assignment, termination, compensation, retaliation, and various types of harassment.

Whether it is fraud in Medicare or Medicaid, failing to pay Customs duty, defrauding the government in defense contracts or any other major fraud against the government, it is the taxpayers who suffer. Birkenfeld, an ex-con, stands as one example that anyone can become a whistleblower but he has garnered so much attention because he is so incredibly unusual. Most whistleblowers are good and successful citizens who discover fraud and are horrified by that discovery.

The Georgia Taxpayer Protection False Claims Act (GTPFCA) went into effect on July 1, 2012. The GTPFCA models the federal FCA, but also contains some provisions that are unique. - [1]—Liability and Damages Provisions - The liability and damages provisions under the GTPFCA are similar to those under the federal FCA. For example, an individual will be liable for knowingly presenting or causing the presentation of a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval, or...