Whistleblowing

Have you been disciplined for reporting wrongdoing by employer? Have your hours been reduced after you shed light on an illegal situation occurring at work? Where you somehow punished for revealing wrongdoing at you job?

Houston employment lawyers Robert J. Wiley, and Kalandra N. Wheeler represent Houston employees who have experienced retaliation for whistleblowing in the workplace. A number of Texas and federal laws protect employees for having the courage to take a stand against a company who knowingly is doing something wrong.

Employees who report wrongdoing in the workplace to a superior, a law enforcement agency, a governmental agency, or the public is considered to be a “whistleblower.” Many of the times, whistleblowers take such action with the enormous risk of losing their jobs and/or careers. Despite the great benefit the public receives from the whistleblower’s actions, not all “whistleblower” activity is protected under Texas law.

The Texas Whistleblower Act provides legal rights for public employees who report law violations by the employing governmental entity or another public employee to an appropriate law enforcement authority. An employee seeking to expand his or her rights under the Texas Whistleblower Act must act very quickly and should contact us immediately.

There are several whistleblower laws in Texas that protect whistleblowers from retaliation from their employers under certain circumstances. Because these laws are limited and only apply to very specific circumstances, you should contact us if you have been retaliated against for “whistleblowing” or you would like to be advised of your rights before “whistleblowing.” Please be aware that, in Texas, a large amount of “whistleblowing” is not protected by the law. Texas law does provide limited protections for employees in various circumstances, including:

·       Certain nursing home employees discharged for whistleblowing

·       Certain hospital, mental health facility, or treatment facility employees discharged for whistleblowing

·       Certain registered nurses discharged for reporting incidents of poor nursing to the Board of Nurse Examiners

·       Certain physicians discharged for reporting the acts of another physician to the State Board of Medical Examiners

·       Certain employees discharged for using the Worker’s Commission’s toll-free telephone service to report a violation of an occupational health or safety law

·       Certain employees discharged for reporting violations of the Hazard Communication Act

·       Certain employees reporting violations of employment discrimination laws, such as discrimination prohibited by the Texas Labor Code

A qui tam lawsuit involves whistleblowers who file a civil lawsuit under the False Claims Act, a law that rewards whistleblowers if they successfully recover funds for the government.

Whistleblowers in qui tam cases serve a powerful tool in aiding the government to stop many forms of fraud, such as Medicare and Medicaid fraud, military contractor fraud, and other types of fraud that have a great impact the government’s finances. More importantly, qui tam cases are instrumental in recovering billions in taxpayer money that has been stolen from regular hardworking Americans and the U.S. Treasury.

As in any whistleblower case, employees who are aware that their employers are actively defrauding funds from the government are often reluctant to expose their employer because of professional and personal repercussions. However, it is imperative that you find an attorney to represent you in your qui tam lawsuit if you are aware of financial fraud against the government.

You have taken a stand against wrongdoings in the work place, and for that you should not be punished for shinning light on a dark area. In defending you rights as a employee you must step forward. If you have been mistreated or retaliated, do not hesitate to contact our law firm. If you choose to contact us, you will generally meet with an attorney to discuss your matter.