Monthly Archives: September 2014
Second Circuit: No Dodd-Frank Protections for Whistleblowers Overseas
The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals made an important ruling in August, deciding that the whistleblower protections in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act do not cover individuals who work for companies located outside the United States. In the ruling, the court sided with Siemens AG, a well-known German engineering and technology firm, in a case […]
What Does Delaware’s Wal-Mart Decision Mean for Attorney-Client Privilege and Internal Investigations?
The Delaware Supreme Court recently came to a decision in Wal-Mart Stores Inc. v. Indiana Electrical Workers Pension Trust Fund IBEW to uphold the order given by the Delaware Court of Chancery to require Wal-Mart to give the plaintiff (a shareholder) documents relating to the company’s internal investigation of allegations made by the plaintiff, including […]
Debate Rages On About Edward Snowden: Whistleblower or Traitor?
The case of Edward Snowden has been highly debated for much of the past year. To give an idea of just how complicated the situation is, there are 21 different federal laws in existence that protect workers that act as whistleblowers. However, a large number of employers and employees do not have a full understanding […]
Two Whistleblower Cases Show Major Contrast of How Cases Can Result
A couple of recent whistleblower cases that have received national attention show the large divide that still exists in the way that these cases can progress. The first case saw the SEC award a whistleblower $400,000 for delivering information about his company’s wrongdoing that he had originally tried to report internally before being ignored by […]
Religious Exemptions for Employees
President Barack Obama recently signed an executive order that bans federal contractors from discriminating against the sexual orientation or gender identity of its employees. This order does not include a religious exemption, meaning all federal contractors are required to follow the terms of the order regardless of their own personal religious beliefs. This order is […]
Lessons from Recent NLRB Actions
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Office of the General Counsel recently investigated allegations against various McDonald’s franchises and its franchisor, McDonald’s, USA, LLC. The charges were that the company violated the rights of its employees during various employee protests at different franchise locations. The most newsworthy aspect of this case: the NLRB authorized those […]
About the Proposed “Retail Workers Bill of Rights”
A San Francisco proposal passed by the Board of Supervisors could implement a “Retail Workers Bill of Rights,” aimed at changing labor standards and pay practices for hourly employees. This piece of legislation would force the more than 1,200 retail stores throughout San Francisco to do the following: Offer all part-time employees the option to […]
VA Whistleblower in Phoenix Punished for Alerting Authorities
In 2010, Paula Pedene helped reveal a scandal in the Phoenix Veterans Affair Hospital revolving around mismanagement that ultimately led to the hospital being $11.4 million short in its budget. Now, it’s being reported that she has been placed in a lower-ranking job as punishment for her role as a whistleblower. Pedene, 56, had a […]
Apple the Subject of a Class Action Lawsuit About Break Periods
A California state court granted class action status to a case with claims alleging that Apple failed to give its employees sufficient breaks for meals and rests, occasionally disallowing breaks completely. Nearly 21,000 current and former Apple employees are taking part in the lawsuit. State law in California requires all employers to give a 30-minute […]
