People who live in connecticut might have heard of whistleblowing but may be uncertain what the term means. A whistleblower is someone who exposes scandals and fraud. Many whistleblowers report the illegal conduct of their employers to the relevant federal and state agencies.
Some employees choose to blow the whistle to report fraud and other misconduct by their employers or co-workers. The government encourages whistleblowing because it helps to expose fraud that might otherwise go undetected. Examples might include reporting employers who commit Medicare billing fraud or other similar violations of federal law.
Multiple federal and state laws have been enacted to protect whistleblowers from retaliation for filing complaints and for participating in investigations. In spite of the protections for whistleblowers, companies often still retaliate against them. In a famous whistleblower case, a 26-year-old employee of Theranos reported that the company was manipulating its lab testing results. Theranos retaliated against him, accusing him of violating its trade secrets and hiring a private investigator to follow him. He and his parents have spent $400,000 in legal fees even though his claims were determined to be true.
People who have inside knowledge that their employers are committing fraud may be able to file complaints under the False Claims Act. If their employers retaliate against them, they may be able to file separate retaliation lawsuits. The decision to serve as a whistleblower should not be taken lightly. People might benefit from talking to lawyers who are experienced in handling these types of claims. The lawyers might explain what to expect and how to handle different issues that might arise during the process.
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