Walk It Through: The Padded Invoices
A report to a supervisor, a refusal to take part, and a civil action within one year under the Conscientious Employee Protection Act.
A billing clerk notices invoices that appear to overcharge a county agency the employer does business with.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One clerk and one firing. Federal statutes for reports about workplace safety, securities and federal contracts, and whether what followed was retaliation for the report, are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Conscientious Employee Protection ActThe law barring retaliatory action against an employee for disclosing or threatening to disclose, to a supervisor or a public body, employer conduct the employee reasonably believes violates a law, rule or regulation or is fraudulent or criminal, for testifying about it, or for objecting to or refusing to take part in it.
- ReprisalA notice to quit, a suit for possession, or a substantial change in the tenancy, including refusing to renew without cause, because a tenant enforced rights, complained in good faith about health or safety, or joined a lawful organization.