Whistleblowers in California

California offers employees many protections against employers from taking adverse actions against an employee for exercising their rights. Whistleblowers are included in the protected category of individuals.

What Qualifies as a Whistleblower?

A whistleblower is an employee who fearlessly reports wrongdoing in their workplace. They would report the wrongdoing to:

1. manager, supervisor, or employee that has authority over them,
2. law enforcement of government agency, or
3. a different employee that has the authority to investigate in the company

The whistleblower may also testify or give information to the public agency doing the investigation or hearing. The whistleblower employee would do this if they are under the impression their employer is conducting business activities that violates the following:

1. local, state, or federal statutes,
2. local, state, or federal rules or regulations, or
3. local, state, or federal safety and health protocols and regulations.

It is important to know the whistleblower may also be protected if they are an employee refusing to engage in a practice that would violate any of the violations mentioned above. The state of California encourages those employees to report wrongdoing, knowing they are protected.

Protections for Whistleblowers

• An employer, or any person acting on behalf of the employer, may not make, adopt, or enforce any rule, regulation, or policy preventing an employee from being a whistleblower
• An employer cannot retaliate against an employee for being a whistleblower
• An employer, or any person acting on behalf of the employer, may not retaliate against an employee for refusing to participate in an activity that would result in a violation of state or federal statute, or a violation of or noncompliance with a local, state, or federal rule or regulation
• An employer, or a person acting on behalf of the employer, shall not retaliate against an employee because the employee is a family member of a person who has, or is perceived to have, engaged in any acts protected by this section.

The protections listed above could be found in the California Labor Code Section 1102.5.

Overall, a whistleblower has the right to report potential wrongdoing at their job without the fear of their employer punishing them for it. The state of California protects whistleblowers to keep both employers and employees honest and accountable for their actions in their respective industry or field of work.

Do I Have a Whistleblower Case?

To determine if you have a strong whistleblower case, contact an employment lawyer and have them review your case. Ally Law Group offers you a free consultation to completely go over your case. This means that a member of our staff will sit with you, listen to your complete story of what happened and give you honest and truthful guidance on whether or not you have a shot at a successful case against your prior employer. Ally Law Group also offers a ZERO FEE GUARANTEE! This means you will not pay anything unless we win the case and this places all the risk on us. This puts the pressure on us to do the best we can to win your case!

Contact Ally Law Group Today!

We believe we are the best employment law firm in Orange County because we care for our clients. Our clients are an extension of our family and we strive to protect and fight for every penny our clients deserve. If you feel like you may have a case against your former employer for retaliation, contact us today for a free consultation!