Eleventh Circuit Adopts “Totality of the Circumstances” Test for Showing Protected Activity Under SOX and Denies Whistleblower Petition for Review -
In Ronnie v. Office Depot, LLC, --- F.4th ----, 2023 WL 6210623 (11th Cir....more
10/25/2023
/ Appeals ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Fraud ,
Internal Controls ,
Investment Adviser ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Retaliation ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
Whistleblower Developments is a periodic report covering significant cases, decisions, proposals, and legislation related to whistleblower statutes and how they may impact your business. Recent developments include:
SEC...more
4/23/2021
/ Deferred Prosecution Agreements ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Non-Prosecution Agreements ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblowers
Whistleblower Developments is a periodic report covering significant cases, decisions, proposals, and legislation related to whistleblower statutes and how they may impact your business. Recent developments...more
1/29/2020
/ Annual Reports ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
CFTC ,
Directors ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Rule 21F-17 ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Violations ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
Whistleblower Developments is a periodic report covering significant cases, decisions, proposals, and legislation related to whistleblower statutes and how they may impact your business...more
Whistleblower Developments is a periodic report covering significant cases, decisions, proposals, and legislation related to whistleblower statutes and how they may impact your business. Recent developments include:
Fifth...more
4/16/2019
/ Bio-Rad Laboratories ,
CFTC ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Dismissals ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Retaliation ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
Whistleblower Developments is a periodic report covering significant cases, decisions, proposals, and legislation related to whistleblower statutes and how they may impact your business. Recent developments...more
Whistleblower Developments is a periodic report covering significant cases, decisions, proposals, and legislation related to whistleblower statutes and how they may impact your business. Recent developments include:
New...more
7/19/2018
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
CFTC ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Internal Reporting ,
Proposed Rules ,
Retaliation ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
Whistleblower Developments is a periodic report covering significant cases, decisions, proposals, and legislation related to whistleblower statutes and how they may impact your business. Recent developments include:
Only...more
4/18/2018
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Bright-Line Rule ,
Digital Realty Trust Inc v Somers ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Internal Reporting ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Retaliation ,
Safe Harbors ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
The Supreme Court in Digital Realty Trust narrowed the definition of a whistleblower under the Dodd-Frank Act only to those persons who have provided information of a securities laws violation to the U.S. Securities and...more
2/22/2018
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Digital Realty Trust Inc v Somers ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Retaliation ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Split of Authority ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
Whistleblower Developments is a periodic report covering significant cases, decisions, proposals, and legislation related to whistleblower statutes and how they may impact your business. Recent developments...more
2/1/2018
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Former Employee ,
Oral Argument ,
Retaliation ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Summary Judgment ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
...On July 25, 2017, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced it was awarding nearly $2.5 million to a government employee who tipped off the SEC to a company’s wrongdoing.
Although the SEC does not...more
10/19/2017
/ Appeals ,
Digital Realty Trust Inc v Somers ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Federal Contractors ,
Financial CHOICE Act ,
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Sarbanes-Oxley ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Split of Authority ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblowers ,
Wrongful Termination
Whistleblower Developments is a periodic report covering significant cases, decisions, proposals, and legislation related to whistleblower statutes and how they may impact your business. ...more
7/25/2017
/ Amended Rules ,
Certiorari ,
CFTC ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Financial CHOICE Act ,
Internal Reporting ,
Jury Verdicts ,
Popular ,
Retaliation ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Split of Authority ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblowers
Whistleblower Developments is a periodic report covering significant cases, decisions, proposals, and legislation related to whistleblower statutes and how they may impact your business. ...more
4/21/2017
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Appeals ,
Denial of Certiorari ,
Dismissals ,
Dodd-Frank ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Investment Adviser ,
Job Duties ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Retaliation ,
Reversal ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Split of Authority ,
Supervisors ,
Whistleblowers ,
Wrongful Termination
According to a memo circulating amongst Republican-party leaders as of February 13th, Republicans in the House of Representatives are planning to propose a significant curtailment of the U.S. Securities and Exchange...more
2/26/2017
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Conspiracies ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Morgan Stanley ,
OSHA ,
Popular ,
Retaliation ,
Rollbacks ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Separation Agreement ,
Waiver of Rights ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
SEC Brings First Stand-Alone Whistleblower Retaliation Enforcement Action -
On September 29, 2016, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) brought its first stand-alone whistleblower retaliation case under...more
10/10/2016
/ Administrative Appeals ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Merrill Lynch ,
Popular ,
Remediation ,
Remedies ,
Rule 21F ,
Sanctions ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Severance Agreements ,
Standard of Review ,
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Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
SEC Awards Bounty to Whistleblower, But Offsets Award for a Judgment Against the Whistleblower -
The extent to which the SEC would reward whistleblowers, who themselves engaged in wrongdoing, has been the subject of...more
4/13/2016
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Amicus Briefs ,
CFTC ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Internal Investigations ,
Protected Activity ,
Retaliation ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblowers
Several important matters related to whistleblower actions occurred toward the close of 2015, including the first instance of a director being held individually liable for retaliation, a dismissal of the Berman v. Neo@Ogilvy...more
1/8/2016
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
CFTC ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Internal Reporting ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies
Second Circuit Splits from Fifth Circuit on Whistleblower SEC Reporting Obligations
On September 10, 2015, the Second Circuit in Berman v. Neo@Ogilvy LLC, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 16071 (2d Cir. 2015), ruled that...more
10/5/2015
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Barnes and Noble ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fraud ,
Internal Reporting ,
Interpretive Rule ,
OSHA ,
Protected Activity ,
Reversal ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Termination ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
In a much-anticipated decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit set up a possible showdown at the U.S. Supreme Court when it decided on September 10 that whistleblowers need not report to the SEC in order to...more
SEC Awards Another Whistleblowing Compliance Officer -
On April 22, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced an award between $1.4 and $1.6 million to a compliance officer who provided information...more
7/8/2015
/ Attorney-Client Privilege ,
Certificates of Compliance ,
Chief Compliance Officers ,
Compliance ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Internal Investigations ,
IRS ,
Retaliation ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Tax Court ,
Upjohn Warnings ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers ,
Wrongful Termination
• Fourth Circuit Applies Two-Year Statute of Limitations to SOX Whistleblower Claim and Confirms Availability of Emotional Distress Damages
• SDNY Holds That SOX Protects Employee From Retaliation for Activity Engaged...more
SEC Whistleblower Office 2014 Annual Report Details Rising Number of Tips and Increasing Awards -
On November 17, 2014, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Whistleblower Office issued its Fiscal Year 2014...more
1/7/2015
/ Annual Reports ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Halliburton ,
Orion Energy ,
Popular ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Siemens ,
TD Ameritrade ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblowers
On July 31, 2014, the SEC awarded $400,000 to a whistleblower who had reported internally before providing information to the SEC. The award was unique because the SEC’s Claims Review Staff had denied the whistleblower’s...more
In a ground-breaking decision, on March 4, 2014, the United States Supreme Court held in Lawson v. FMR LLC, 571 U.S. __ Case 12-3 (Mar. 4, 2014), that §1514A of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 provides a right of action for...more
On March 4, 2014, the United States Supreme Court held in Lawson v. FMR LLC, 571 U.S. __ , Case No. 12-3 (Mar. 4, 2014), that §806 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”) provides a cause of action for employees of private...more