Whistleblower Protection

Whistleblower Compliance On February 3, 2017, the Michigan Supreme Court issued a ruling involving Michigan’s Whistleblowers’ Protection Act (WPA). The ruling requires employers to carefully evaluate any changes made to an employee’s position, job duties, and working conditions after that employee raises concerns that may be protected activity under the WPA. Otherwise, an employer may be setting

Saving-Time.jpgProcrastination can be an employer’s best friend when it comes to employment discrimination lawsuits. This is especially true for claims under Michigan’s Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA). This is because Michigan’s WPA has one of the shortest statutes of limitations (i.e., the time in which a lawsuit must be filed) under any employment-related law. That limitation

shutterstock_247592956The Michigan Supreme Court ruled for a Saginaw nurse who filed a wrongful discharge claim alleging he was fired in violation of public policy. As we previously noted, this case raised a question of whether Michigan’s Whistleblowers’ Protection Act was the former employee’s exclusive remedy.

In sum, Mr. Landin was terminated from his job

Injured by Chance.jpgWhistleblower claims routinely make the headlines. And for employers, whistleblower claims increase the chance of liability even in what should be otherwise routine adverse employment decisions.

By way of example, a number of years ago, I represented an employer in what should have been a garden variety wrongful discharge lawsuit. However, because of

Performance ReviewsIn a rare decision favorable to Michigan whistlblower plaintiffs, the Court of Appeals reversed a trial court’s decision to dismiss a whistleblower case against an employer. But the real lesson that employers and their HR professionals should take from the decision is that timely decision making in the termination process is critical, as well

Whistle.jpgRetaliation against company employees who report inappropriate or illegal action create significant legal risks for employers under whistleblower protection statutes.

Employers, however, can significantly increase their chances of disposing of a whistleblower protection claim if proper policies are in place and by appropriately responding to such reports. The following provides an overview of a whistle

Knife Behind Back.jpgThe alleged (mis)handling of an employee’s complaints of wrong-doing by her former employer offers insight on how to avoid a subsequent whistleblower claim or, at least, be in a better position to defend against such claims. 

Specifically, a Metro Detroit Employment Law firm was recently sued for violating (ironically) various employment laws. The law firm