{"id":357896,"date":"2017-03-07T18:48:04","date_gmt":"2017-03-07T23:48:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/employment\/whistleblowers\/famous-whistleblowers.html"},"modified":"2024-04-09T12:46:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T17:46:00","slug":"famous-whistleblowers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/employment\/whistleblowers\/famous-whistleblowers.html","title":{"rendered":"Famous Whistleblowers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Famous Whistleblowers<\/h1>\n
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\n By Lisa Burden, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Melissa Bender, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

Employees who report an employer’s misconduct are referred to as whistleblowers. They are instrumental in exposing illegal activity that includes everything from discrimination and harassment to public health and safety violations. Sometimes whistleblowing results in multimillion-dollar jury awards or high-dollar settlements.<\/p>\r\n

Whistleblowers<\/a> often receive a reward for exposing wrongdoing. They qualify for a percentage of the total sum recovered through their efforts.<\/p>\r\n

By taking a stand, whistleblowers risk retaliation. There is legal recourse for victims of retaliation. Whistleblowing is a legally protected activity and whistleblower protection laws exist on a state<\/a> and federal level<\/a>. <\/p>\r\n

Many federal agencies, such as the Department of Justice<\/a> and the Securities and Exchange Commission<\/a>, have whistleblower programs. This means that employers can’t terminate your employment or take any other adverse action against you for coming forward. If so, you could have grounds for a wrongful termination lawsuit.<\/p>\r\n

This article looks at a few of the most notable whistleblower cases.<\/p>\r\n

Largest Securities and Exchange Commission Whistleblower Award<\/h2>\r\n

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued its largest whistleblower award<\/a> in 2023. A whistleblower was awarded nearly $279 million for information and assistance that expanded the scope of charged misconduct. The agency’s previous top award was a $114 million whistleblower payout issued in 2020.<\/p>\r\n

Whistleblower awards through the SEC’s program range from 10%-30% of the collected money. This happens when the sanctions are over $1 million.<\/p>\r\n

Taxpayers don’t foot the bill for the awards. The money comes from investor protection funds and penalties that securities law violators paid to the SEC.<\/p>\r\n

Record Fine for Pharmaceutical Giant<\/h2>\r\n

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Pfizer agreed to pay a $2.3 billion fine<\/a>. The DOJ was investigating Pfizer for illegal and fraudulent promotion of its drug, Bextra, and other drugs. At the time, the fine broke several records:<\/p>\r\n