Fort Lauderdale Whistleblower Lawyer
Whistleblowing is essential to maintaining public health and safety in the face of corporations that cut corners and engage in illegal behavior. Employees who blow the whistle on their employers help ensure transparency in governmental and private entities, but there are risks. Although it is illegal to retaliate against a whistleblower, it still happens. An employee can benefit from a Fort Lauderdale whistleblower lawyer to protect their interests.
The Law Offices of Gary A. Costales, P.A.: Protecting Employee Rights
When you report illegal activity, fraud, misconduct, and other violations in the workplace, you have the right not to worry about retaliation. Unfortunately, this is not always upheld. If you have been wrongfully terminated, harassed, or otherwise suffered negative employment action because you reported wrongdoing, the Law Offices of Gary A. Costales, P.A., can help you. Retaliation is illegal, and our firm wants to protect your rights and recover compensation.
The attorney at our firm is certified by the Florida Bar in labor and employment law, and our team is uniquely qualified to handle your retaliation case. We investigate the cause of your termination or other negative employment action, gathering evidence to support your case.
Call For A Free Telephone Consultation
Call (786) 446-7288 for a free telephone consultation with our office or use our contact form to tell us more about your situation.
Employers often give another reason for the action, and our investigation will determine the accuracy of the reason. Our goal is to help you financially recover from the retaliation you have suffered.
The team at the Law Offices of Gary A. Costales, P.A., aims to provide you with diligent and supportive legal representation. We want to help you hold employers responsible if they have violated your rights and recover back pay and other losses from the violation.
Understanding Whistleblowing
Whistleblowing occurs when an employee or another individual associated with a company or organization reports illegal activities in the entity. They inform the relevant governmental agency, superiors in their company, or another person of authority of the illegal actions so that the agency can further investigate the employer. A whistleblower may report:
- Defrauding the government.
- Financial fraud and accountant fraud.
- Unreasonable costs of goods and services.
- Safety violations in the workplace.
- Upcoding, or inflating the value and complexity of medical bills.
- Harassment or discrimination in the workplace.
- Negligent or mistreatment of patients or clients.
- Wage and hour violations.
- Corruption.
- Other threats to the public’s well-being, safety, and health.
It is illegal for an employer to take negative action against whistleblowers who act in good faith and report known or suspected illegal activity. It is also illegal to retaliate against employees who refuse to participate in illegal activity in the workplace or who cooperate with an investigation into an employer’s wrongdoing, including by testifying or providing other evidence.
This is stated in both state and federal law. Unfortunately, such retaliation can still occur. If you believe that you were retaliated against by your employer for whistleblowing, an employment attorney can review your case to determine if you have a valid case.
How Can an Employer Retaliate Against a Whistleblower?
There are numerous ways that an employer may retaliate when an employee refuses to engage in or reports illegal activity. Retaliation may include any adverse employment action, including:
- Wrongful termination.
- Cutting the employee’s pay, hours, or benefits.
- Demoting the employee to a lower job or assigning them undesirable job duties.
- Denying earned benefits.
- Creating a performance evaluation or review that is unreasonably negative, overstating an employee’s negatives.
- Transferring the employee to another, inconvenient work location.
- Failing to give the employee an earned promotion.
- Harassing the employee.
- Enabling or ignoring a hostile work environment.
Some of these actions may be overt, while others can be harder to connect to retaliation. If these issues arise in your employment, it can be helpful to discuss your situation with a skilled employment attorney.
They can help you review the kinds of evidence you should begin gathering, such as proof that a negative performance review was exaggerated or that a lack of promotion was unfair. If you can prove retaliatory action, you could recover financial losses like back pay, lost wages, future wages, and other damages.
FAQs
Yes, Florida has a whistleblower law. Both state and federal laws make it illegal for an employer to retaliate against whistleblowers when the whistleblower employee reports on legal violations that are a threat to the public’s safety, wellbeing, or health.
The law also protects whistleblowers who report a misuse of a governmental office from retaliation. Retaliation can take many forms, including firing the employee, reducing their pay or hours, failing to promote them, denying them benefits, or harassing the employee.
You can file a whistleblower lawsuit when you are retaliated against for taking the protected action of reporting legal violations, misuse, fraud, and other illegal activity. Retaliation law also covers other protected actions, like refusing to take part in illegal activity and cooperating with investigating authorities.
If your employer took a negative employment action against you because you reported illegal activity, fraudulent misuse, and other violations, you can file a claim against them.
When an employee reports a violation, they can call the relevant agencies to inform them of the fraud or other activity, at which point the organization will conduct an investigation. Florida governmental employees can report through the Florida Commission on Human Relations, and other employees can file reports with the Florida Inspectors General. Employees are able to report known or suspected violations of the law or mismanagement of public funds.
The value of your whistleblower lawsuit will rely on the type of whistleblower case. A qui tam whistleblower case enables whistleblowing employees to recover a percentage of the financial recoveries that the government secures in the case. Other types of whistleblower cases are based on retaliation for whistleblowing, so the value of a whistleblower claim will depend on the type of retaliation, the income it costs the employee, and other financial and personal losses.
Working With Dedicated and Exceptional Employment Lawyers in Fort Lauderdale
Whistleblowing is a crucial part of ensuring transparency and legality in public and private organizations. If an employer has taken negative action against you for your part in blowing the whistle, you can hold them accountable. Let the Law Offices of Gary A. Costales, P.A., help you protect your financial future and file a complaint against your employer. Contact our firm today.
