Whistleblower Protection

Experienced Atlanta Attorneys Protecting the Rights of Employees

Whistleblowers are employees who reveal their employer’s misconduct. Federal and state laws provide protections and incentives for whistleblowers. Parks, Chesin & Walbert has secured landmark victories before the Georgia Supreme Court in connection with public employee whistleblowing. Our Atlanta whistleblower lawyers also have vindicated our clients’ rights in connection with state and local governments by obtaining multiple six-figure settlements. If you have been fired, demoted, suspended, or subjected to another kind of retaliation by a public employer or securities firm after disclosing a legal violation, our firm may be able to represent you. The attorneys at Parks, Chesin & Walbert have years of experience fighting abuse, waste, and governmental fraud, and we can put this experience to work for Georgia whistleblowers.

Georgia Whistleblower Protection

Public employers are not allowed to retaliate against whistleblowers in Georgia. If you work for the state of Georgia or any local government within the state, Georgia law protects your right to disclose legal violations by governmental officials within your department. Under the Georgia Whistleblower Protection Act (O.C.G.A. section 45-1-4(d)), a public employer cannot enforce, adopt, or make a policy or practice stopping a public employee from revealing a violation of or noncompliance with a regulation, rule, or law to a governmental agency or supervisor. Public employers are not allowed to retaliate against public employees for revealing a violation of or noncompliance with a regulation, rule, or law to a supervisor or governmental agency, unless this disclosure was made while knowing that it was false or with a reckless lack of concern for whether it was false or true. Our whistleblower attorneys can help Atlanta residents bring retaliation claims.

Public employers in Georgia are not supposed to try to punish you, as a public employee, for objecting to or refusing to get involved in any practice, policy, or activity of the public employer that you reasonably believe has violated or is not in compliance with a regulation, rule, or law.

Sarbanes Oxley Whistleblowing

Our firm also pursues claims on behalf of corporate executives under Sarbanes Oxley and other federal whistleblower laws. Among other things, Sarbanes Oxley protects from retaliation whistleblowing employees who report misconduct by publicly traded corporate employers. The companies covered by Sarbanes Oxley are those registered under the Securities Exchange Act and required to report to the Securities Exchange Commission. Sarbanes Oxley added to corporate whistleblower law by instituting procedures whereby publicly held companies must put in place a venue to handle reports from anonymous whistleblowers. The law also requires that investigations conducted after Sarbanes Oxley was implemented should not include threats of harassment, suspension, demotion, or termination against someone who acted lawfully in reporting proof of company fraud. Under section 1107, it is a crime for employers to retaliate against informants, and significant fines and prison sentences may be imposed for violations.

You can consult our Atlanta whistleblower attorneys to better understand your protections under Sarbanes Oxley. Retaliation under Sarbanes Oxley can include any unfavorable action taken because of an employee’s lawful reporting of misconduct. It can include terminating an employee, putting an employee on a blacklist, demoting an employee, reducing an employee’s pay or hours, withholding promotions or overtime pay, denying benefits, not hiring someone, intimidating or harassing an employee, or reassigning an employee to an unsuitable position or post. An employee who suffered any of these adverse actions can be entitled to restoration of benefits, being hired or rehired, payment of back wages owed, restoration to a senior position, compensation for lost benefits, and special damages.

Seek Advice on Whistleblowing Activities and Protections

At Parks, Chesin & Walbert, we have acquired a strong reputation for innovative approaches and strategies for complex legal problems, such as retaliation against whistleblowers. We have secured respect in our field by getting justice for clients. Whether you are looking for legal advice or representation in litigation in the Atlanta area, our whistleblower lawyers can evaluate your situation. We represent clients in Forsyth, DeKalb, Fulton, Glynn, and Gwinnett Counties. Call us at 404-873-8048 or contact us through our online form.