• Qui Tam
  • SEC
  • CFTC
  • FCPA
  • Whistleblower Resources
  • FAQS
Subscribe
Donate
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
The Truth at Any Cost.
Qui Tam, Compliance and Anti-Corruption News.
SIGN THE PETITION FOR NATIONAL WHISTLEBLOWER DAY IN 2023
Whistleblower Network News
  • Qui Tam
  • SEC
  • CFTC
  • FCPA
  • Whistleblower Resources
  • FAQS
Subscribe
Donate
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
No Result
View All Result
Home Corporate

Thousands of Whistleblowers at Risk

Mary Jane WilmothbyMary Jane Wilmoth
November 27, 2017
in Corporate, News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Whistleblowers at Risk
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInEmail

Washington, D.C., November 27, 2017. On Tuesday, Nov. 28th the United States Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Digital Realty Trust v. Somers, the first whistleblower case under the Dodd-Frank Act (DFA) to reach the Supreme Court.

At issue is whether or not employees who raise concerns to their supervisors are protected under the DFA. Digital Realty, backed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is arguing that “whistleblowers” under the DFA must disclose their concerns directly to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) to be protected.

Attorneys for the whistleblower, Paul Somers, maintain that employees who disclose securities frauds directly to their managers or a company’s internal compliance program are fully protected under the DFA. The SEC, Senator Charles Grassley, and the National Whistleblower Center (among others) filed briefs in support of Mr. Somers.

Support Whistleblower Network News

Stephen M. Kohn, who is representing the amici National Whistleblower Center, explained how this case will impact thousands of whistleblowers:

“The vast majority of employees initially report fraud directly to their managers or internal compliance programs. Stripping internal whistleblowers of protections will result in the automatic dismissal of thousands of potential whistleblower cases. It will discourage employees from reporting concerns to their bosses, and will undermine investor confidence. Refusing to protect internal whistleblowers will have a catastrophic impact on corporate compliance programs.”

Kohn also explained the wide-reaching impact of the case: “The legal arguments raised by Digital and the Chamber are applicable to other whistleblower laws that have similar statutory definitions of whistleblowing, including the Commodity Exchange Act, whistleblower protections in the Clean Air, Water Pollution, Toxic Substances and Surface Mining laws, and all the major banking whistleblower laws, including those covering credit unions, FDIC-insured institutions, and international monetary transactions.”

Related links:

  • Brief of the National Whistleblower Center
  • Brief of the SEC
  • Brief of Senator Charles Grassley
  • Brief of Paul Somers
  • Brief of Chamber of Commerce
  • Brief of Digital Realty
  • Lower Court Decision (9th Cir.) under review
Tags: Dodd-Frank ActInternal ComplianceInternal WhistleblowerSecurities and Exchange CommissionSecurities FraudStephen M. KohnWhistleblower Protection
Previous Post

Federal Employee Whistleblowers Denied Due Process

Next Post

Supreme Court Hears Major Whistleblower Case Today

Mary Jane Wilmoth

Mary Jane Wilmoth

Mary Jane Wilmoth is the publisher of Whistleblower Network News, where she heads the editorial staff. She writes about breaking whistleblower news, and False Claims Act whistleblowers, SEC whistleblowers, IRS whistleblowers, FCPA whistleblowers, and CFTC whistleblowers. Mary Jane is the managing partner at the whistleblower law firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, and a frequent contributor to The Whistleblower and Qui Tam Blog. She is a licensed attorney in the District of Columbia and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire School of Law (formerly Franklin Pierce Law Center).

Next Post
U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Oral Argument in State Farm Ex Rel. Rigsby

Supreme Court Hears Major Whistleblower Case Today

Please login to join discussion

Receive Daily Alerts

Subscribe to receive daily breaking news and legislative developments sent to your inbox.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Most Popular

US Attorneys Reflect on UK’s Whistleblowing Awareness Week

OSHA Highlights Railroad Worker Whistleblower Protections in Wake of Train Derailments

AML Whistleblower Law Could Shift the Way DOJ Handles Whistleblowers

Two Powerful Women Whistleblower Pairs to Learn From This Women’s History Month

WNN Exclusive Interview with Social Security Whistleblowers Sarah Carver and Jennifer Griffith — Part 2

Change the Culture, Make National Whistleblower Day Permanent

Whistleblower Poll

Whistleblower Poll
Whistleblower Poll

Exclusive Marist Poll: Overwhelming Public Support Among Likely Voters For Increased Whistleblower Protections

byGeoff Schweller
October 6, 2020

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

STAY INFORMED.
Subscribe to receive breaking whistleblower updates.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About Us

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Careers

Subscribe

  • Daily Mail
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • YouTube Channel

Contribute

  • Letter to the Editor
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Reprint Guidelines

Your Experience

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Help

  • The Whistleblowers Handbook
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Advertise
Whistleblower Network News

Whistleblower Network News is an independent online newspaper providing our readers with up-to-date information on whistleblowing. Our goal is to be the best source of information on important qui tam, anti-corruption, compliance, and whistleblower law developments. 

Submit an Article

Copyright © 2021, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

This Newspaper/Web Site is made available by the publisher for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this website, you understand that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the Newspaper/Web Site publisher. The Newspaper/Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.

SIGN THE PETITION FOR NATIONAL WHISTLEBLOWER DAY IN 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Exclusives
  • Government
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Federal Employees
    • Intelligence
  • Corporate
    • CFTC & Commodities
    • Dodd-Frank
    • IRS & Tax
    • SEC & Securities
  • Features
  • Legislation
  • International
    • Foreign Corruption
  • Rewards
  • Whistleblower of the Week
  • Environment & Climate
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Employment
    • Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers
    • Retaliation
    • OSHA
  • Media
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • National Whistleblower Day
  • Whistleblower Poll
  • Whistleblower Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Resources for Locating An Attorney
    • The New Whistleblowers Handbook
  • National Whistleblower Day ’23

Copyright © 2020, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

Become a Whistleblower Network News Subscriber

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Subscribe to WNN

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Subscribe to WNN

Add New Playlist

Go to mobile version