West Palm Beach Whistleblower Lawyer

West Palm Beach Whistleblower Attorney

Choosing to blow the whistle on your employer’s unfair, immoral, or illegal activities can be a very brave and complicated decision to make for yourself. You may not immediately know what to expect from your employer after making such a huge decision, but you may be expecting consequences of some kind. You may be expecting to lose your job, but Florida’s labor laws make it illegal for that to happen. A West Palm Beach whistleblower lawyer can help you.

The legal team at the Law Offices of Gary A. Costales, P.A., can help you figure out what to do next after blowing the whistle on your employer. After you make that decision, you may be in a bit of a complex situation. You are going to want legal assistance, if only to determine your next moves and how to protect yourself following revealing sensitive information to the authorities. We can make sure your employer is held accountable if they try to terminate your employment.

What Is Whistleblowing?

Whistleblowing occurs when you intentionally report your employer’s misconduct, illegal activities, or discriminatory practices to the proper authorities. Someone who decides to reveal such information to the authorities with the hopes of ensuring that said behavior ceases is considered a whistleblower. Your employer will not be happy if you blow the whistle on their poor behavior, and they may attempt to retaliate against you in some capacity.

Such behavior is not uncommon in Florida. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, there were over 3,800 incidents in 2024 alone where an employee was fired out of retaliation for something they had done to damage the company, including whistleblowing.

If you are retaliated against by your employer, you can start to feel isolated and betrayed. Speaking with a local support group, such as CORE Therapy Intensives, can be very beneficial to your health.

Whistleblowers are often encouraged to testify in court about what they know, particularly if the knowledge in question relates to a violation of federal law, a violation of noncompliance with state law, or a violation of workplace safety. Your employer cannot legally fire you for blowing the whistle on their unethical behavior. If they try, you may have a case of wrongful termination on your hands and may want to consider reaching out to a West Palm Beach employment lawyer to build a case.

Common Reasons for Whistleblowing

The decision to speak out on your employer’s questionable behavior is not made lightly. It is often the final choice after some consideration. Everyone chooses to do so for a variety of reasons, and those reasons may be personal. Here are some of the more common reasons why an employee in West Palm may choose to go against their employer and reveal certain information to the proper authorities:

• Discrimination. One of the most common reasons for whistle-blowing is witnessing discrimination. If you see someone in your workplace being mistreated because they belong to a certain protected class, you should consider reporting it as soon as possible. It’s illegal to discriminate against someone because of their race, age, skin color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, and more.
• Corruption. Corruption may be more rampant in some industries than others, and the choice to try and expose corruption can be a dangerous one to make. If you uncover some evidence of corruption, you should be very careful who you reveal that information to. It may stretch beyond your company and into certain local laws or government entities. Take what you have to a whistleblower lawyer. They can help you figure out the next steps.
• Sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is another immoral behavior that is quite rampant throughout workplaces in every state. If you witness an incident of sexual harassment, you should seriously consider reporting it. If you do and your employer does nothing about it, you should consider blowing the whistle and reporting it to a higher authority, such as the EEOC.

FAQs

West Palm Beach Whistleblower Lawyer

Choosing to expose your employer’s actions is a big decision to make. While it can be a challenging experience, doing so could not only protect you but also protect other employees who are impacted by the adverse behaviors. Before you do, be sure to hire a lawyer with the knowledge and experience you can count on.

The legal team at the Law Offices of Gary A. Costales, P.A., can help you find a path forward after blowing the whistle. Contact us to speak to a team member about how we can help.