Telling Somebody At Work
Whistleblower Law 3 — no retaliation for a good faith report, and Whistleblower Law 4 — 180 days to sue
The protection. No employer may discharge, threaten, or otherwise retaliate against an employee because the employee, or someone acting for the employee, makes or is about to make a good faith report to the employer or an appropriate authority of wrongdoing or waste by a public body, or of waste by another employer as the act defines it.
Participating. The same protection covers an employee asked by an appropriate authority to take part in an investigation, hearing, inquiry or court action. The authority may not disclose the whistleblower's identity without consent unless unavoidable.
180 days. A person alleging a violation may bring a civil action for injunctive relief, damages, or both within 180 days after the alleged violation.
The proof, and the defense. The employee shows by a preponderance that the report was made, or about to be made, in good faith before the reprisal. The employer may defend by proving the action was for separate and legitimate reasons that are not merely pretextual.
Other sections of the same law, and the court's own rules, are not on this page. How it applies to a particular case is a question for a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- Whistleblower Law 3 — Protection of employees who report
- Whistleblower Law 4 — Remedies, and the 180 day limit
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.