Employee Protection
Whistleblowing is an important policy, because it allows for a person to come forward with information that they might know. When an employee is whistleblowing, it means that they are giving information against a defendant on behalf of the government. Under the False Claims Act – 31 USC Sec 3730 (h), as well as under other federal laws, an employee who has made a whistleblowing case has many rights. Qui Tam lawyers can help you make sense of these rights, and can help you insure that you are not retaliated against for whistleblowing.
First of all, it is important to understand that whistleblowing is a process by which you are providing the courts with information against a defendant – in this case your employer. If your employer has knowingly committed fraud against the government, and you come forward with this information, you are a whistleblower. You are entitled to whistleblower compensation for this, under the False Claims Act.
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However, an employee that brings a case on behalf of the government must also be concerned with his or her own rights, as they pertain to their employee status and rights regarding their job. Retaliation is considered to be anything that the employer or company does against the employee because of whistleblowing. For instance, if an employee's retirement money is taken away from them, or if any other benefits are not given to an employee because of whistleblowing, the employee has been retaliated against.
Under Qui Tam, an employee is protected against retaliation that occurs before, during or after the court case and trial. Therefore, Qui Tam lawyers can also be called upon to bring a suit in favor of the employee who has been retaliated against. Because there are many definitions of retaliation, it is important to seek a Qui Tam lawyer's advice if you feel that this has happened to you.
However, you must keep in mind that usually there are very short time frames for seeking protection. For instance, if you as an employee have been retaliated against for whistleblowing, chances are that you have only 30 days to seek protection. This is under the False Claims Act as well. Therefore, if you have been retaliated against by an employer, and the retaliation comes because of your whistleblowing, it is important that you seek legal counsel as soon as possible.
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For more information on whistleblowing, the False Claims Act, or Qui Tam cases in general, or to talk about your particular case, contact our lawyers today. It is important that you do not delay, especially in the case of employer retaliation for whistleblowing.
