Whistleblower Protection
California utilizes numerous laws to protect employees who report violations of state or federal laws, regulations, or public policy. California Labor Code section 1102.5 protects against retaliation for employees who disclose information about legal violations to law enforcement or appropriate authorities. This protection applies even if the suspected violation turns out to be unfounded, as long as the employee’s belief was reasonable.
Further, California Labor Code section 98.6 safeguards employees reporting labor law violations to the California Labor Commissioner, and Labor Code section 6310 protects those reporting occupational health and safety issues to Cal/OSHA. State government employees are covered by the California Whistleblower Protection Act (Government Code section 8547), while healthcare workers and patients have specific protections under Health & Safety Code section 1278.5.
Retaliation against whistleblowers can take various forms, including wrongful termination, unfair performance reviews, denial of promotions, or creating an intolerable work environment. California law prohibits these retaliatory actions and provides legal recourse for affected employees.
Additional protections exist for specific situations, such as qui tam lawsuits under the California False Claims Act, which allow employees to sue employers on behalf of the state government for fraud or embezzlement of government funds. Federal laws like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Act provide further protection for employees of publicly traded companies reporting securities fraud or other illegal actions.
If an employer retaliated against you or someone you know for whistleblowing, contact us immediately.
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