Whistleblower claims company retaliated against her

On Behalf of | Apr 19, 2014 | Whistle-blower Claims

People naturally don’t like to be betrayed. This is why some companies view a whistleblower as a traitor and as being untrustworthy. However, if a company retaliates against a worker for blowing the whistle on the company’s unethical practices, then the employee may feel betrayed by a company he or she initially thought was upstanding. It is unlawful for employers in Wisconsin to treat employees badly simply because they spoke up about potentially unethical or illegal issues at the workplace.

One woman in a recent out-of-state case said she was retaliated against after voicing her concerns about a Veterans Affairs contractor. She then sued the company. Her lawsuit with the company has since been settled, authorities said.

The 57-year-old woman served as a counselor for the company. The Veterans Affairs essentially pays the contractor to operate outpatient clinics for former soldiers throughout the country. The woman said she complained to upper management at the company about issues with the distribution of medication at its facilities. She later was fired and complained that this was the result of a violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act as well as retaliation and age discrimination.

If there is evidence that a company indeed did mistreat an employee who was a whistleblower, the employee reserves the right to file a suit against his or her employer. It can be essential to know what information needs to be corroborated in order to prevail in such a case in Wisconsin. A successfully fought claim can lead to remedies such as the reinstatement of a job or even back pay, based on the circumstances surrounding a specific case.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Whistleblower suit involving VA contractor settled“, Rich Lord, April 14, 2014

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