Whistle Blower

A whistle blower lawsuit involves a situation where an employee is disciplined for reporting illegal activities of the employer or another employee of the company to that employee's superiors in the company or to government agencies or authorities. Under Mississippi law, it is generally a violation of the law to terminate the employment of an employee for reporting illegal activities by the employer or another employee within the company. If an employer fires an employee for blowing the whistle on the company or on one of the employees of the company, the fired employee may have a claim for loss wages, mental and emotional distress and punitive damages. The basis for Mississippi law on whistle blowers originated in the case of McArn v. Allied Bruce - Terminex Company, Inc., 626 So.2d 603 (Miss. 1993).

Just as Mississippi has laws protecting its whistle blowers, the Federal government also protects its whistle blowers with what is called a Qui Tam lawsuit. A Qui Tam lawsuit involves the situation where a company or individual is defrauding the federal government. In this type case, the employee works with the federal government to recover any amounts which are owed by the employer to the federal government. In return, the whistle blower will be awarded a certain percentage of the amount recovered by the federal government. These cases usually involve medical providers who are defrauding the federal government or government contractors.

If you are looking for an experienced Jackson, Mississippi law firm to represent you in a whistle blower matter who will give you and your case the personal attention you deserve, contact the Law Office of Paul Ott, P.A. You can schedule an initial consultation by calling the phone number above or by completing the form on the Contact page.