Whistleblower Protection Law Blog - Page 2 of 26

SEC Whistleblower Attorneys Publish Column in Forbes About Success of SEC Whistleblower Reward Program

One Billion Reasons Why The SEC Whistleblower-Reward Program Is Effective SEC whistleblower attorneys Jason Zuckerman and Matthew Stock of Zuckerman Law, a leading whistleblower law firm that represents U.S. and international whistleblowers before the SEC, published a column in Forbes about the SEC’s Whistleblower-Reward Program. In the column, One Billion Reasons Why The SEC Whistleblower-Reward … Continued

Shkreli Trial Reveals the Challenges Faced by Compliance Whistleblowers

In September 2015, Martin Shkreli became infamous after his company purchased the rights to an AIDS drug (Daraprim) and increased its price from $13.50 per pill to $750 per pill. This price gouging quickly earned Shkreli the title as “the most hated man in America.” Only a few months later, however, Shkreli got a … Continued

Money Laundering and the SEC Whistleblower Program

SEC Takes Aim at Broker-Dealers for Anti-Money Laundering Violations On June 5, 2017, the SEC charged brokerage firm Alpine Securities Corporation (Alpine) with securities law violations related to its ineffective anti-money laundering program. According to the SEC’s complaint, Alpine failed to adequately file suspicious activity reports (SARs) for at least 1,950 stock transactions that the … Continued

SEC Whistleblower Attorney Speaks At Seminar About Developments in Whistleblower Law

On June 28, 2017, Jason Zuckerman of Zuckerman Law spoke on a panel at the Practicing Law Institute’s Corporate Whistleblowing seminar alongside Renee Phillips, Co-Chair of Orrick’s Whistleblower Task Force, Jane Norberg, the head of the SEC’s Whistleblower Office, Christopher Ehrman, the head of the CFTC’s Whistleblower Office, and Teri Wigger, the assistant regional … Continued

Whistleblower Lawyer Interviewed About Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Protection Provision

An article in Law360 entitled “Employers May Regret Forcing Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Test” quotes SEC whistleblower lawyer Jason Zuckerman about the Supreme Court’s decision to review the Ninth Circuit’s opinion in Somers v. Digital Realty Trust holding that the anti-retaliation provision in the Dodd-Frank Act protects internal whistleblowing. The article analyzes the potential impact of limiting … Continued

Anonymous Whistleblowing: Does the SEC Whistleblower Program Protect a Whistleblower’s Identity?

Anonymous Whistleblowing to the SEC Under the SEC Whistleblower Program, the SEC will issue awards to whistleblowers who provide original information that leads to enforcement actions with total monetary sanctions in excess of $1 million. Unlike other whistleblower-reward programs, the SEC’s program allows whistleblowers to submit tips anonymously (if represented by an attorney). While this … Continued

Can Whistleblowers Disclose Secret Recordings to the SEC?

Many companies ban employees from making audio or video recordings in the workplace. Companies argue that these policies promote employee communication without the fear of being recorded. However, are these policies lawful? Can corporate whistleblowers provide recordings evidencing fraud to the SEC notwithstanding these policies? Taping and Disclosing Information to the SEC Can be Protected … Continued

Special Counsel Lerner’s legacy as a bold and effective whistleblower advocate

After six years leading the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, the terms of Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner and Principal Deputy Special Counsel Mark Cohen expired this week. During their tenure, Lerner and Cohen reinvigorated the agency’s enforcement of the Whistleblower Protection Act and transformed the agency into a powerful force to combat waste, fraud, abuse and other wrongdoing in … Continued

Congress Strengthens Whistleblower Protections for Federal Employees

Yesterday President Trump signed into law Follow the Rules Act, which prohibits an agency from taking a personnel action against an employee for refusing an order that would require the employee violate a law, rule or regulation. The Act overturns the Federal Circuit’s 2016 decision in Rainey v. Merit Sys. Prot. Bd., 2016 WL 3165617 (Fed. Cir. June … Continued

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

Comey’s Testimony Underscores Need for Strong Whistleblower Protections

For me, the most telling moment of former FBI Director Jim Comey’s June 8th testimony occurred early in the hearing, when Mr. Comey choked up as he recalled the White House’s publicly stating that the President had fired him because the “FBI was in disarray.” This emotional display seemed out of character for Mr. Comey. … Continued

Leading SEC Whistleblower Law Firm Featured in Article About Growing Wave of Whistleblower Lawsuits

NLJ Article About Growing Wave of Whistleblower Lawsuits An article in the National Law Journal titled Law Firms React to Growing Wave of Whistleblower Lawsuits discusses the substantial growth in whistleblower rewards and whistleblower retaliation claims and mentions Zuckerman Law’s leading SEC whistleblower practice. The article reports that several firms have expanded their whistleblower practices … Continued