Category Archives: Whitle blower claims (including Harless)

Dodd-Frank Act, False Claims Act, Harless wrongful discharge, Retaliation claims, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Whitle blower claims (including Harless)

Workplace Whistleblower Protections: What Employees and Employers Need to Know

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Whistle­blow­ing is one of the most pow­er­ful tools for expos­ing ille­gal activ­i­ties in the work­place. Employ­ees who report mis­con­duct, fraud, or safe­ty vio­la­tions help keep busi­ness­es account­able, but they also risk retal­i­a­tion. Fed­er­al and state laws offer pro­tec­tions for whistle­blow­ers, ensur­ing they can report wrong­do­ing with­out fear of los­ing their jobs. Let’s break down what both employ­ees and employ­ers should know about whistle­blow­er protections.

What Is a Whistleblower?

A whistle­blow­er is an employ­ee who reports unlaw­ful or uneth­i­cal behav­ior with­in a com­pa­ny. Com­mon types of whistle­blow­ing include:

  • Report­ing fraud or finan­cial mis­con­duct (e.g., secu­ri­ties fraud, tax evasion).
  • Report­ing unsafe work­ing con­di­tions or OSHA violations.
  • Dis­clos­ing dis­crim­i­na­tion or harass­ment in vio­la­tion of employ­ment laws.
  • Expos­ing gov­ern­ment con­tract fraud or mis­use of pub­lic funds.
Con­tin­ue read­ing Work­place Whistle­blow­er Pro­tec­tions: What Employ­ees and Employ­ers Need to Know →
Harless wrongful discharge, Retaliation claims, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Whitle blower claims (including Harless), WV Human Rights Act

Wrongful Termination: What It Is and What It Isn’t

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Los­ing a job is tough, but not every ter­mi­na­tion is ille­gal. The term “wrong­ful ter­mi­na­tion” gets thrown around a lot, but in legal terms, it has a spe­cif­ic mean­ing. Both employ­ers and employ­ees need to under­stand what actu­al­ly qual­i­fies as wrong­ful ter­mi­na­tion under fed­er­al and West Vir­ginia law.

What Is Wrongful Termination?

Wrong­ful ter­mi­na­tion hap­pens when an employ­er fires an employ­ee in vio­la­tion of a law, con­tract, or pub­lic pol­i­cy. This can include:

  • Dis­crim­i­na­tion: Fir­ing some­one based on race, gen­der, age, dis­abil­i­ty, or oth­er pro­tect­ed char­ac­ter­is­tics vio­lates fed­er­al and state anti-dis­crim­i­na­tion laws (42 U.S.C. §2000e‑2; W. Va. Code §16B-17–9).
  • Retal­i­a­tion: Employ­ers can’t fire an employ­ee for report­ing dis­crim­i­na­tion, work­place safe­ty vio­la­tions, or engag­ing in oth­er pro­tect­ed activ­i­ties (42 U.S.C. 2000e‑3(a); W. Va. Code §16B-17–9(7)).
  • Breach of con­tract: If an employ­ee has a writ­ten con­tract or even an implied con­tract promis­ing job secu­ri­ty, a ter­mi­na­tion out­side the agreed terms may be wrong­ful (Cook v. Heck’s Inc., 342 S.E.2d 453 (W. Va. 1986)).
  • Pub­lic pol­i­cy vio­la­tions: Employ­ers can’t fire employ­ees for rea­sons that vio­late pub­lic pol­i­cy, such as refus­ing to engage in ille­gal activ­i­ties (Har­less v. First Nat’l Bank, 246 S.E.2d 270 (W. Va. 1978)).
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