Telling Somebody At Work

New Jersey's Conscientious Employee Protection Act bars retaliatory action against an employee for any of three things.

• §N.J.S.A. 34:19-3

• Disclosing or threatening to disclose, to a supervisor or a public body, an activity, policy or practice of the employer, or of another employer it does business with, that the employee reasonably believes violates a law, rule or regulation, or is fraudulent or criminal. For a licensed or certified health care professional, that includes what the employee reasonably believes is improper quality of patient care.
• Providing information to, or testifying before, a public body investigating such a violation.
• Objecting to, or refusing to participate in, an activity the employee reasonably believes violates the law, is fraudulent or criminal, or is incompatible with a clear mandate of public policy on public health, safety or welfare or the environment.

• §N.J.S.A. 34:19-3

What a court may order. An injunction, reinstatement, fringe benefits and seniority, all lost wages and benefits, and reasonable costs and attorney's fees. The court or jury may also assess a civil fine of not more than $10,000 for a first violation and $20,000 for each subsequent one, punitive damages, or both.

• §N.J.S.A. 34:19-5

Federal statutes protect reports in particular fields, such as workplace safety, securities and federal contracts, with their own agencies and deadlines, and are not on this page. Whether a particular report was protected, and whether what followed was retaliation for it, are questions for a licensed New Jersey attorney.

• §N.J.S.A. 34:19-3
• §N.J.S.A. 34:19-5