Taxpayer First Act Whistleblower Protection Law Enacted
The Law Protects Employees from Internal Retaliation
On July 1, 2019, President Trump signed and enacted the Taxpayer First Act, which includes a whistleblower protection provision modeled after the Sarbanes-Oxley Act's whistleblower protection law.
The law prohibits employers, and officers, employees, contractors, subcontractors, or agents of the employers, from retaliating against an employee in reprisal for any lawful act done by the employee to provide information that the employee reasonably believes constitutes a violation of the internal revenue laws or any provision of Federal law relating to tax fraud to a person with supervisory authority over the employee, or any other person working for the employer who has the authority to investigate, discover, or terminate misconduct.
To paraphrase, if the employee tries to stop his or her company from violating the federal tax laws and the company does so anyway, and the employer retaliates, the employee is protected by this new law.
This whistleblower protection law offers broad statutory remedies:
Time is of the essence as the this whistleblower protection law required the employee to file a complaint with the Department of Labor within 180 days from the date the violation.
Contact Seattle Whistleblower Attorneys
The law prohibits employers, and officers, employees, contractors, subcontractors, or agents of the employers, from retaliating against an employee in reprisal for any lawful act done by the employee to provide information that the employee reasonably believes constitutes a violation of the internal revenue laws or any provision of Federal law relating to tax fraud to a person with supervisory authority over the employee, or any other person working for the employer who has the authority to investigate, discover, or terminate misconduct.
To paraphrase, if the employee tries to stop his or her company from violating the federal tax laws and the company does so anyway, and the employer retaliates, the employee is protected by this new law.
This whistleblower protection law offers broad statutory remedies:
- (i) reinstatement with the same seniority status that the employee would have had, but for the reprisal;
- (ii) the sum of 200 percent of the amount of back pay and 100 percent of all lost benefits, with interest;
- (iii) compensation for any special damages sustained as a result of the reprisal, including litigation costs, expert witness fees, and reasonable attorney fees; and
- An employee who prevails in a whistleblower action under this statute shall be entitled to all relief necessary to make the employee whole.
Time is of the essence as the this whistleblower protection law required the employee to file a complaint with the Department of Labor within 180 days from the date the violation.
Contact Seattle Whistleblower Attorneys