Whistleblower Protection Lawyers Archives

Whistleblower Lawyer Quoted About Comey’s Leak to the Press

An article in the Washington Examiner titled Is James Comey in trouble for ‘leaking’ his own notes? quotes whistleblower lawyer Jason Zuckerman about whether Mr. Comey’s disclosures to The New York Times could land him in hot water. The article notes that leaking government information can be punishable under the Espionage Act and other laws … Continued

Whistleblower Lawyer Will Speak at DC Bar Program About Whistleblower Rights, Protections and Challenges

Whistleblower lawyer Jason Zuckerman, Principal of Washington DC whistleblower law firm Zuckerman Law, will speak at a DC Bar program on April 4, 2017 titled “Whistleblower Rights, Protections and Challenges.” To register, click here. Zuckerman is honored to join Darshan Sheth of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel and Robert Storch, Deputy Inspector General, Department of Justice, … Continued

Ninth Circuit Holds that Dodd-Frank Protects Internal Whistleblowing

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently joined the Second Circuit in holding in Somers v. Digital Realty Trust that whistleblowers are protected under the Dodd-Frank Act if they report securities-law violations internally and not to the Securities and Exchange Commission. By contrast, the Fifth Circuit, the only other federal circuit to weigh … Continued

Deputy Special Counsel Eric Bachman Joins D.C. Whistleblower Firm Zuckerman Law

Eric Bachman has joined Zuckerman Law as Of Counsel, where he will head the firm’s employment discrimination and retaliation practices. Bachman is an accomplished trial attorney, most recently serving as Deputy Special Counsel, Litigation and Legal Affairs, at the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC). Previously, he served for five years as a Special Litigation Counsel … Continued

Inspector General Concludes that Marshalls Service Official Violated the Whistleblower Protection A

Following an investigation, the Department of Justice Inspector General concluded that the Chief Deputy United States Marshal (CDUSM) and a Senior Inspector retaliated against subordinate employees for their cooperation with an OIG investigation. According to the investigative summary, the retaliation included restricting an employee’s work assignments and threatening retaliation to dissuade employees from cooperating with … Continued

GAO Report Calls for Improvements in Government Contractor Whistleblower Protections

In a report entitled “Contractor Whistleblower Protections Pilot Program: Improvements Needed to Ensure Effective Implementation,” the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) identifies deficiencies in the implementation of the NDAA whistleblower protection provisions and makes recommendations to improve these vital protections for employees of government contractors and grantees. The report identified the following flaws in the implementation of … Continued

Court Rules that Whistleblowers Can Use Confidential Company Documents to Expose Fraud

A whistleblower achieved a significant win on a critical challenge that nearly all corporate whistleblowers often face – whether they can use confidential company documents to expose fraud and other illegality. Judge Bashant’s decision in Erhart v. Bofi Holdings clarifies that employer confidentiality agreements do not supersede federal whistleblower rights, and signals that retaliatory lawsuits against … Continued

Whistleblower Attorney Dallas Hammer to Speak at Webinar About Government Investigations & Corporate Compliance

Whistleblower attorney Dallas Hammer will speak at a Rossdale seminar titled Mastering Government Investigations & Corporate Compliance CLE on March 8, 2017. To register, click here. Mr. Hammer represents whistleblowers in whistleblower retaliation and whistleblower rewards claims, including Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower actions. Mr. Hammer has written extensively about protections for cybersecurity whistleblowers, including the following publications: The Rise of Cybersecurity Whistleblowing, NYU Law Compliance & … Continued

Jury Awards Former Bio-Rad Counsel $11M in Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower Case

A California jury has awarded former Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. General Counsel Sanford Wadler $11M in his Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower retaliation lawsuit. Approximately $3M of the award is for back pay and the remaining amount is for punitive damages. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, backpay will likely be doubled. Wadler is represented by Kerr & Wagstaff. The jury instructions … Continued

Trump Administration’s Gag Policy at the EPA is Unlawful

Several media outlets are reporting that President Trump’s political landing team at the EPA, which draws heavily from energy industry lobby and pro-drilling think tanks, is prohibiting employees from speaking to the media and Congress. Politico reports that the landing team is “limiting employees’ ability to issue news releases, tweet or otherwise communicate with the … Continued

NY Appeals Court Decision Signals that Cybersecurity Whistleblowing Implicates Corporate Theft

Whistleblower Disclosures About Data Leakage Implicate Corporate Theft Most people don’t think about what whistleblower laws may protect them until they need them. Many information security professionals may be surprised to learn that they are protected by the law although no law specifically protects “cybersecurity” whistleblowers. This is because issues involving information security are rarely only … Continued

What whistleblowing is protected under the Whistleblower Protection Act?

The Whistleblower Protection Act prohibits retaliation against federal employees, applicants, or former employees for disclosing the following types of government wrongdoing: a violation of any law, rule, or regulation; gross mismanagement; gross waste of funds; abuse of authority; or a substantial or specific danger to public health or safety. (5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8). The WPA … Continued