News & Analysis as of

Employer Liability Issues Whistleblowers Enforcement Actions

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

The Department of Justice Slams Open the Door for False Claims Act Enforcement of DEI Initiatives

The Trump Administration has continued to target diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) initiatives as an affront to civil rights legislation. In a previous post, we discussed President Trump’s Executive Order 14173 – titled...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

OSH Law Primer, Part XI (Continued): Understanding and Contesting OSHA Citations - The Whys and Hows

This is a continuation of the eleventh installment in a series of articles intended to provide the reader with a very high-level overview of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 and the Occupational Safety and...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Whistle While You Work: Whistleblowers File More False Claims Act Suits in 2024 Than Ever Before

Individual employees helped the government secure another successful year in False Claims Act (FCA) litigation, as both plaintiffs (whistleblowers) and individual defendants. The government collected more than $2.9 billion in...more

Fenwick & West LLP

SEC Settles Seven Whistleblower Protection Actions

Fenwick & West LLP on

On September 9, the SEC settled charges against seven public companies for violations of the whistleblower protection rule. According to the SEC’s orders, among other things, these companies violated Rule 21F-17(a) by...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Companies Subject to U.S. Jurisdiction Should not Restrict Personnel from Being SEC Whistleblowers, or Receiving SEC Whistleblower...

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

SEC rules prohibit taking “any action” to impede an individual from communicating directly with the SEC about a possible securities law violation, including by enforcing, or threatening to enforce, a confidentiality...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

SEC Announces Settlements with Seven Public Companies for Violations of Exchange Act Whistleblower Protections in Employee and...

Ballard Spahr LLP on

The SEC has begun to bring enforcement actions against companies whose employment and client agreements could appear to infringe on the right to report cases in violation of Section 21f-17(a) of the Exchange Act. On September...more

Jenner & Block

Client Alert: Key Takeaways from the SEC’s Latest Enforcement Sweep Regarding Violations of the Whistleblower Protections Rule

Jenner & Block on

Earlier this week, the SEC announced an enforcement sweep charging seven public companies with violating the whistleblower protections rule in various employment-related agreements. These charges reflect the SEC’s continuing...more

Perkins Coie

February Tip of the Month: SEC Targets Whistleblower Restrictions in Employment-Related Agreements

Perkins Coie on

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has signaled that it will take aggressive action against employers who, by way of employment-related agreements, restrict, prohibit, or otherwise discourage employees from...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

SEC Takes on Nondisclosure Agreements to Protect Whistleblower Program; Fines Firm $10 Million

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in recent years has taken an aggressive stance against employers over employment agreements that the agency believes impede its whistleblower program—as highlighted by a $10...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

SEC Continues to Police Confidentiality Provisions for Theoretical Whistleblower Suppression

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) levied an $18 million fine against J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC (“JPMS”) for allegedly including overbroad release provisions in settlement agreements. This marks the continuation...more

BakerHostetler

Employers Beware: Broad Confidentiality and Severance Clauses May Violate Whistleblower Protection Laws

BakerHostetler on

Employers should check their confidentiality and severance agreements for a common oversight that, for some, is becoming a costly error. Recent enforcement activity by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Rule...more

Littler

SEC Continues to Attack Non-Disclosure Agreements and Personnel Policy Provisions that Could Impede Employees from Reporting...

Littler on

The SEC continues to review non-disclosure agreements and other confidential business information provisions of publicly traded companies to ensure whistleblowers are not restricted from freely communicating with the agency...more

Epstein Becker & Green

#WorkforceWednesday: SEC Cracks Down on Private Companies for Violating Whistleblower Protections - Employment Law This Week®

Epstein Becker & Green on

This week, we’re focusing on three recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charges against employers for violating whistleblower protection laws and how all employers should take extra steps to ensure compliance in...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

SEC Increases Scrutiny of Whistleblower Protections

Ballard Spahr LLP on

Summary - The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has recently announced settlements with a number of companies whose separation agreements or internal policies the SEC viewed as impeding employees’ participation in the...more

BCLP

SEC penalizes company with good disclosures for insufficient controls

BCLP on

What happened? In a recent settlement order, the SEC charged Activision Blizzard with failing to maintain adequate disclosure controls and procedures. Notably, the SEC did not claim that the company’s SEC filings were...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

2023 Equal Employment Opportunity Trends in Litigation and Enforcement

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

Data from 2022 portends a monumental year ahead for Equal Employment Opportunity (“EEO”) litigation and enforcement. Plaintiffs are filing class-based-employment claims in higher numbers than ever, and class actions involving...more

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

Anti-Retaliation under the False Claims Act

The False Claims Act encourages whistleblowers to come forward when they suspect their employer is committing fraud. This post provides a general overview of the False Claims Act’s anti-retaliation provision, which protects...more

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

What Does the DOJ’s New Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative Mean for You?

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC on

As discussed in a previous post, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced a new Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative to utilize one of the strongest tools in its toolbox—the False Claims Act—to hold entities receiving federal...more

Epstein Becker & Green

#WorkforceWednesday: CA Whistleblower Retaliation Cases, NYC Pay Transparency Law, Biden’s Labor Agenda - Employment Law This...

This week, we’re recapping major items shifting at the state, local, and federal levels, including whistleblower retaliation case law, pay transparency rules, and federal labor policies. California Supreme Court Specifies...more

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

Trio of False Claims Act Retaliation Rulings from September

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC on

The False Claims Act (FCA) prohibits employers from retaliating against whistleblowers who report FCA violations. 31 U.S.C. § 3730(h). To plead a claim under this anti-retaliation provision of the FCA, an employee must show...more

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...

EEOC Sues KU Medical Center for Firing Whistleblower Who Exposed Age Discrimination

Department Retaliated When Manager Reported Age Bias in Hiring, Federal Agency Charges - ST. LOUIS - The University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) violated federal law when it discharged a manager who alerted officials...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

OSHA Trends And Developments: One Year Into The Trump Administration

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Yesterday our panel from Seyfarth’s Workplace Safety team led a briefing on OSHA regulation and enforcement under the Trump Administration. One year into the Trump Administration, employers’ expectations for a more...more

Morgan Lewis

OSHA Increases Scrutiny of Whistleblower Settlement Agreements

Morgan Lewis on

Following the SEC’s lead, OSHA recently announced new guidelines that it will consider when deciding whether to approve settlement agreements reached during OSHA investigations of whistleblower claims....more

Morgan Lewis

CFTC Proposes Amendments to Whistleblower Awards Process and Anti-Retaliation Authority

Morgan Lewis on

The amendments would make the CFTC’s whistleblower awards process more uniform with the SEC’s program and would enable the CFTC to bring enforcement actions against employers that retaliate against whistleblowers....more

Morgan Lewis

OSHA Announces New Enforcement Program for Whistleblower Cases

Morgan Lewis on

The “pilot” Severe Violator Enforcement Program will impose more stringent inspection procedures, enhanced settlement provisions, and “public scrutiny” for employers that OSHA deems to have engaged in “egregious behavior and...more

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