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New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act Lawyers

New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act LawyersNew Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act Lawyers

CEPA Attorneys in Moorestown, NJ: Whistleblowing on Workplace Wrongs with the Conscientious Employee Protection Act in Burlington County, Camden County, Gloucester County, and Throughout South Jersey

When you discover that your employer is committing some sort of illegal or fraudulent act or is even engaging in discrimination or allowing harassment to continue in the workplace, it can be difficult to report those actions for fear of reprisals. After all, your employer occupies an unequal position of power in that the employer controls your right to work and earn a living in your current position. Because of this fear, New Jersey has enacted one of the strongest whistleblower protection acts in the country. The Conscientious Employee Protection Act protects employees who “blow the whistle” in New Jersey by exposing or objecting to certain policies or practices adopted by their employers that the employee reasonably believes to be illegal or against public policy.

At Attorneys Hartman, Chartered, our experienced employment lawyers have developed a detailed knowledge of how the Conscientious Employee Protection Act can work to protect the rights of employees who expose employer wrongdoing. We fight not only to protect your job, but to ensure that you receive full and fair compensation for any retaliatory actions taken by your employer. Our skilled lawyers are not intimidated by large corporations and the interests they represent. We have developed a reputation for never backing down in our more than 50 years’ worth of combined experience protecting the rights of employees in Moorestown and elsewhere in New Jersey.

We provide all of our prospective clients with a free and confidential initial consultation, so call or contact us today to see how we can help you recover the compensation you deserve to hold your employer accountable.

Protections Provided Under the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act

Specifically, the Conscientious Employee Protection Act, also known as CEPA, prevents employers from terminating, demoting or taking disciplinary or other retaliatory action against an employee who:

  • Exposes employer conduct that the employee believes to be illegal, fraudulent or against public policy, whether the report is made to an internal supervisor or public authority,
  • Cooperates in an investigation into the employer’s conduct by a local, state or federal public agency,
  • Refuses to participate in the employer’s conduct or practices that the employee believes may be illegal or threaten public policy regarding health, safety, welfare or environmental protection,
  • Refuses to fulfill job duties that the employee reasonably believes to be illegal or against public policy.
  • Works in healthcare and discloses improper quality or issues relating to patient care by other healthcare workers,
  • Provides information regarding any misrepresentations made by the employer to shareholders, investors, patients, employees or former employees, or retirees.

Generally, to gain protections under CEPA, the whistleblower-employee must first report the activities that he or she believes are illegal or wrong to a supervisor unless:

  • The employee reasonably believes that reporting the wrongdoing would create a physical threat to the employee, or
  • The employee reasonably believes the supervisor already knows about the wrongdoing.

Central to the protections offered by CEPA is the “reasonable belief” element—which means that if the employee has a reasonable basis for believing that the employer’s actions are wrong, that employee is protected from retaliation even if it turns out the employer has committed no actual wrongdoing.

Skilled Employment Lawyers Fight to Enforce Protections Provided Under the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act

In order to have a valid claim under CEPA, you must be able to demonstrate some tangible form of harm that you suffered in the workplace. Although the employer’s actions may often be subtle, retaliatory actions in the workplace often include:

  • Termination
  • Demotion or a pay cut
  • Harassment
  • Denial of a promotion
  • Suspension from work
  • Overt disciplinary action
  • Unjustified negative performance reviews
  • Constructive termination

In many cases, an employer will not actually fire or demote a whistleblower, but instead may take steps to make it difficult for the employee to continue working. Where the employer takes actions that essentially force you to quit, this is a constructive termination that is also prohibited under whistleblower protection laws.

Schedule a Free Initial Consultation with Attorneys Hartman, Chartered to Discuss the Protections Provided Under the Conscientious Employee Protection Act Today

If you believe that you have suffered retaliation in the employment context after you reported, or objected to, your employer’s wrongdoing in Moorestown or elsewhere in New Jersey, you may have a valid claim for compensation under the Conscientious Employee Protection Act. At Attorneys Hartman, Chartered, we have dedicated our legal careers to protecting the rights of employees in the workplace and are passionate about holding employers accountable for their wrongdoing. We put our five-plus decades’ worth of experience to work fully in every case we take on, so call or contact our offices today to explore options for recovering compensation in your Conscientious Employee Protection Act case.

Frequently Asked Questions About the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act

Meet Your Team

Katherine D. HartmanKatherine D. Hartman
Katherine D. Hartman SignatureKatherine D. Hartman Signature
Michael C. MormandoMichael C. Mormando
Michael C. MormandoMichael C. Mormando

Katherine D. Hartman, Esquire

Katherine D. Hartman is the Managing Partner in the Moorestown, New Jersey law office of Attorneys Hartman, Chartered, which has been named one of America’s Best Law Firms by U.S. News and World Report. She concentrates her practice in employment discrimination, criminal defense, police disciplinary matters, and other employment law issues. Katie has been practicing law for over thirty years. She was admitted to the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Bars in 1991, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in November of 1993, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in November of 2002, and the Supreme Court of the United States in October of 2002.

Katie has been awarded the highest (AV) rating for professional ability and high ethical standards, by Martindale Hubbell. Additionally, Katie has consistently been voted a Super Lawyer by New Jersey Magazine. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations. She was named one of the Top Forty Lawyers under Forty by the New Jersey Law Journal in 2002.

Michael C. Mormando, Esquire

Michael C. Mormando has been practicing law for over twenty years, and is a Partner at Attorneys Hartman, Chartered. Mike is an active member in the Burlington County Bar Association, he is a former Chair of the Bar Associations’ Criminal Practice Committee, and he formerly served as a member of the Supreme Court of New Jersey District Ethics Committee for Burlington County, District III-B. Mike also served two years as Councilman for Ward 3 in Delran Township, having been elected to the post in the November 2018 general election, and he currently serves as the Chair of the Delran Township Zoning Board.

Mike’s areas of practice include criminal defense, DUI defense, traffic violation defense, employment law, discrimination and whistleblower cases, unemployment compensation appeals, labor representation for collective bargaining units, employment contract review and negotiations, and defense in police disciplinary matters. Mike is approved by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) as a lawyer who can represent law enforcement officers who face disciplinary or criminal charges. Mike also represents small business owners concerning employment issues.