Burlington County Whistleblower Lawyers
New Jersey Employment Lawyers Committed to Whistleblower Protections in Camden County and Burlington County
One of the primary reasons that workplace offenses such as employment discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and other civil rights violations are so complicated to prove is that there is often a lack of evidence to support these claims. Employers often get away with wrongdoing because employees fail to “blow the whistle” for fear of retaliation, termination or other reprisals. Because of this, strong whistleblower protection laws exist at both the state and federal level to protect employees who come forward and report employer wrongdoing or simply refuse to participate in those potentially illegal or immoral actions.
Despite strong legal protections, whistleblower cases are often extremely difficult to prove because of many different factors. The employer’s retaliation may be extremely subtle and difficult to establish from an evidentiary standpoint, and in other cases, there may be very little in terms of tangible written evidence to establish that a whistleblowing activity actually took place.
At Attorneys Hartman, Chartered, our experienced Burlington County whistleblower lawyers have the knowledge, resources and dedication necessary to successfully establish your right to protection under applicable state and federal whistleblower protection laws. We know that retaliatory actions based upon your whistleblower status can have a detrimental effect on your career and your future, and we work tirelessly to protect our clients’ rights and win fair compensation for past retaliation. You should not be punished for doing what you believed to be right, so if you believe you have suffered adverse consequences because of your actions as a whistleblower, contact us to see how we can help protect your rights today.
Legal Basis for Whistleblower Protection in New Jersey
In general, the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA) provides legal protection for employees who provide information regarding any employer policy that they reasonably believe violates any law or public policy. The law also protects those employees who refuse to participate in, or object to, actions that they reasonably believe would violate the law. However, numerous other legal bases exist to protect New Jersey whistleblowers who report illegal actions or other wrongdoing in the employment context, including:
- The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. This law protects employees who report workplace discrimination, or testified with respect to discrimination in the workplace, from retaliation.
- Title VII. At the federal level, Title VII prohibits an employer from workplace retaliation against whistleblowers who report or assist in uncovering discrimination in the workplace.
- False Claims Act. Employees who report employers who they believe to be defrauding the federal government are protected from retaliation under the False Claims Act.
- The Sarbanes Oxley Act. Sarbanes Oxley protects whistleblowers who report illegal accounting-related activities engaged in by their employers if the employer is a publicly-traded company.
- Qui Tam Actions. In a qui tam action, the whistleblower who reports his or her employer’s actions that would defraud the federal government are entitled to receive a portion of any recovered funds.
- IRS Whistleblower Law. Many whistleblower cases center upon reporting an employer’s tax fraud. In these cases, as a whistleblower, you may be entitled to recover between 15 and 30 percent of the funds that are recovered in certain circumstances.
Additionally, it is illegal for an employer to retaliate if you reported or complained about a violation of New Jersey wage and hour laws, or if you claimed workers’ compensation benefits. Further, government employers are prohibited from taking adverse action against public employees who expose issues that are of concern to the general public.
Gloucester County Whistleblower Lawyers Fight to Protect the Rights of Whistleblowers in the Workplace
At Attorneys Hartman, Chartered, our whistleblower lawyers fight to ensure that whistleblowers who have suffered adverse or retaliatory employment actions are fairly compensated. Available compensation in a whistleblower lawsuit may include:
- Reinstatement to the workplace
- Double the back pay owed as a result of the retaliation
- Interest on the back pay
- Litigation costs and attorneys’ fees
- Punitive damages in some cases
We can also help you understand the timelines and procedures that apply in filing an initial whistleblower complaint under specific legal statutes, such as the Fair Claims Act or via a qui tam action, and complete all of the necessary documentation in filing that complaint.
Call Today to Schedule a Free Initial Consultation with Skilled Moorestown Whistleblower Lawyers at Attorneys Hartman, Chartered
Whistleblower protection laws apply equally at all levels of employment to protect employees for doing what they believe to be right. At Attorneys Hartman, Chartered, our skilled Moorestown whistleblower lawyers are committed to standing up for the rights of those employees brave enough to challenge the illegal or wrong actions of their employers. Call or contact our offices today to explore options for recovering compensation in your whistleblower case or making a report of an employer’s illegal actions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Whistleblower Cases in Mount Laurel, NJ
Yes. So long as you reasonably believed that your employer’s actions were in violation of some law or public policy, such as laws prohibiting discrimination in the workplace, whistleblower protection laws will apply. Our experienced lawyers can help you obtain whistleblower status by making the most compelling possible argument that the required “reasonable belief” element was established.
Whistleblowers can expose a variety of illegal actions at the employer level, but these claims tend to center upon issues such as tax fraud, accounting fraud, employment discrimination, fraud in the healthcare system, violations of wage and hour laws, failure to pay overtime and more. Importantly, whistleblower protections apply in any case where you reasonably believed that your employer was committing some type of illegal action or violating public policy to protect you from retaliation and adverse employment actions.