Deciding to blow the whistle on suspected wrongdoing is never easy, and, for some, the thought of reporting an employer is downright frightful, for fear of being demoted or fired.  In a great number of instances, good and honest people may be forced to witness, or even participate in, improper conduct for years, unsure of how to go about reporting the misconduct they have seen and/or been forced to participate in. 
 
In order to combat growing fraud problems, certain federal and state laws have been passed to encourage potential whistleblowers to disclose suspected wrongdoing.  These laws not only provide protections for whistleblowers, but, in a number of instances, the laws allow the whistleblower to recover a financial reward for coming forward and disclosing the suspected wrongdoing. 
 
Maneuvering through the various whistleblower laws can be difficult, and a potential whistleblower needs to be aware of the differences in the law.  For instance, under certain whistleblower laws, if the whistleblower goes public with his or her information of suspected wrongdoing, then the whistleblower loses his or her claim, and thus loses the opportunity to recover a financial reward.  Under other laws, if the whistleblower notifies certain government officials of the suspected wrongdoing or waits too long to file his or her claim or another person files their claim first, then the whistleblower loses his or her claim.
 
In some cases, the government may bring criminal charges for corporate fraud and include an employee who did not blow the whistle.  In these cases, the individual will need a defense.
 
Christensen & Jensen’s whistleblower attorneys team can assist and protect those seeking to blow the whistle on suspected wrongdoing, and will also provide defense, criminal or otherwise, if a person finds themselves a part of a suit brought by the government.
 
Some of Christensen & Jensen’s cases have made for front page news, including a case where a whistleblower disclosed fraud allegations related to Okland Construction that led to Okland paying approximately $1 million in 2014.  A whistleblower represented by Christensen & Jensen also disclosed information that exposed the cover up of a massive toxic mercury spill at Hill Air Force Base.  However, most of Christensen & Jensen’s whistleblower cases have not made the news.  This is true because oftentimes it is in the clients’ best interest to handle their claims without much fanfare, behind the scenes, and without having to go so far as to shut the suspected wrongdoer down completely, or to cost other employees their jobs.  Or, as sometimes is the case, a business may prefer to quietly settle a whistleblower dispute for fair value, instead of fighting it out in court.

Whistleblower services offered by Christensen & Jensen, include:

• Medicaid/Medicare Fraud
• Government Contractor Fraud
• Securities Fraud
• Loan and Grant Fraud
• Pharmaceutical Fraud
• Tax Fraud
• Stark Law (anti-kickback statute)
• Mortgage Fraud
• Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
• Other Whistleblower Laws

For more information on our Whistleblower practice, please visit www.utahwhistleblowerhotline.com