Steven J. Pearlman

Steven J. Pearlman

Proskauer Rose LLP


Latest Posts › Whistleblowers

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OSHA Reinstates ERA Whistleblower And Issues Daunting Preliminary Order

On May 15, 2013, OSHA determined that Enercon Services Inc. (Company), an engineering firm that provides nuclear power facilities with engineering support services, violated the whistleblower provisions of the Energy...more

5/29/2013 - Energy Reorganization Act Engineering OSHA Protected Activity Safety Violations Whistleblowers

C.D. Cal. Greenlights SOX Claim, Analyzing Whether Scienter Must Be Shown Where Violation Of Internal Controls Is Alleged

On April 24, 2013, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued its final ruling that a SOX whistleblower complaint survived a Rule 12(b)(6) challenge. Zulfer v. Playboy Enterprises, Inc., No....more

5/7/2013 - Anti-Retaliation Provisions Internal Controls Sarbanes-Oxley Scienter Whistleblowers

New Whistleblower Bounty Law On The Horizon In NY?

On March 22, 2013, the New York State Senate introduced the S4362 Proposal which, through a “bounty,” gives financial awards to whistleblowers who provide original information to the Department of Financial Services (DFS)...more

5/1/2013 - Anti-Retaliation Provisions Incentives Whistleblower Bounty Program Whistleblowers

Recent Multi-Million Dollar Whistleblower Jury Awards — A Wake-Up Call For Employers

In what might be an unsettling trend for employers, juries in Philadelphia and Anchorage have recently issued multi-million dollar jury awards in favor of whistleblowers. Specifically, on March 22, 2013, a Philadelphia Common...more

4/16/2013 - Damages False Claims Act Jury Awards Protected Activity Whistleblower Protection Policies Whistleblowers

District of Colorado Expansively Construes Protected Activity Under Dodd-Frank, But Finds No Causation

The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado followed a trend of decisions concluding that a plaintiff need not have provided the SEC with information regarding alleged federal securities law violations to pursue a...more

4/5/2013 - Dodd-Frank Hiring & Firing Protected Activity Retaliation SEC Termination Whistleblowers

Tyco Seeks En Banc Review of Controversial Third Circuit Wiest v. Lynch Decision

Tyco Electronics Corporation filed a Petition for Rehearing En Banc with the Third Circuit on April 2, 2013 asking the court to reconsider its March 19 decision in Wiest v. Lynch, No. 11-cv-4257, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 5345 (3d...more

4/4/2013 - Sarbanes-Oxley Tyco Whistleblowers Wiest v Lynch

Third Circuit Lowers Bar For Determining Whether Internal Complaint Is SOX Protected Activity

In Wiest v. Lynch, No. 11-cv-4257, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 5345 (3d Cir. March 19, 2013), the Third Circuit gave Chevron deference to U.S. Department of Labor Administrative Review Board’s (ARB) interpretation of “protected...more

3/26/2013 - DOL Protected Activity Sarbanes-Oxley SEC Split of Authority Whistleblowers

OSHA Penalizes Another Railroad Company In Whistleblower Action

On February 28, 2013, OSHA ordered Union Pacific Railroad (UP) to reinstate the employment of and pay over $309,000 ($150,000 in punitive damages, $87,600 in compensatory damages, $71,700 in back pay with interest, plus...more

3/25/2013 - Attorney's Fees Damages Federal Railroad Safety Act OSHA Punitive Damages Safety Precautions Whistleblowers Workplace Injury

OSHA Issues Interim Final Rule on PPACA Whistleblower Provision

On February 22, 2013, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released an interim final rule concerning the whistleblower protection provisions of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act...more

3/11/2013 - Affordable Care Act Healthcare OSHA Whistleblowers

SEC Inadvertently Produces Whistleblower Complaint, But Then Obtains Protective Relief

During discovery in an SEC administrative and cease-and-desist proceeding instituted in December 2012 (pursuant to Sections 9(b) and 9(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940)[1] the SEC Division of Enforcement (DOE)...more

3/11/2013 - Attorney-Client Privilege Discovery SEC Whistleblowers

OSHA Issues Stiff Penalties To Railroad Company In FRSA Whistleblower Matters

OSHA recently announced that it ordered Norfolk Southern Railway (Company) to pay three former workers a combined $1,121,099 for violating the whistleblower provisions of the Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA), which protects...more

3/7/2013 - Federal Railroad Safety Act OSHA Railways Safety Precautions Whistleblowers

Ninth Circuit Affirms Dismissal Of SOX Whistleblower Claim On Causation Grounds

In a brief but notable decision, the Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment in an employer’s favor on causation grounds in a SOX whistleblower retaliation case. Kim v. The Boeing Co., 487 Fed. Appx. 356 (9th Cir. 2012)....more

3/6/2013 - Adverse Employment Action Boeing Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers

Illinois Whistleblower Act: Employee Need Not Be Original Source To Have An Actionable “Disclosure”

An Illinois Appellate Court recently found that the Illinois Whistleblower Protection Act (740 ILCS § 174/1, et seq.) (IWA) does not require that the employee’s disclosure is the first, or only, disclosure of a violation of a...more

3/5/2013 - Adverse Employment Action Disclosure Whistleblowers

Senator Grassley’s Harsh Criticisms Of IRS Whistleblower Program Implementation

On January 28, 2013, in a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury), Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), co-author of the 2006 updates to Section 7623 of the Internal Revenue...more

2/25/2013 - Charles Grassley IRS Whistleblowers

IRS Whistleblower Program: Payouts Rise in 2012

On February 13, 2013, the IRS issued its “Fiscal Year 2012 Report to the Congress on the Use of Section 7623,” as required by The Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (Act). The Act was established “to encourage people with...more

2/20/2013 - Fiscal Reports IRS Section 7623 Tax Relief & Welfare Act Whistleblowers

District Court Widens Split On Whether Complaints Of Alleged Future Misconduct Are Protected

The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California ruled that a SOX whistleblower complaint survived a Rule 12(b)(6) challenge on “reasonable belief” grounds and found that complaints of potential future...more

2/18/2013 - Board of Directors Corporate Bonuses Federal Rule 12(b)6) Fraud Internal Controls Playboy Potential Future Violations Retaliation Sarbanes-Oxley SEC Split of Authority Termination Whistleblowers

Employers Taking Stand Against Allegedly Frivolous Whistleblower Claims

Employers who believe they have been subjected to frivolous whistleblower suits are starting to say “enough is enough,” and searching for ways to vindicate their rights and send a strong message....more

2/8/2013 - Whistleblowers

OIG Report On SEC Whistleblower Program: Praise, Suggestions & Conclusion That Private Right Of Action Would Be Premature

On January 18, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its report titled Evaluation of the SEC’s Whistleblower Program. The report presented a largely positive review of...more

2/6/2013 - OIG Private Right of Action SEC Whistleblower Protection Policies Whistleblowers

District of Idaho: Federal District Courts Lack Jurisdiction to Enforce Preliminary Reinstatement Order

The stakes increase and the landscape changes tremendously in a whistleblower case when the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) issues a preliminary reinstatement order....more

2/6/2013 - DOL Federal Railroad Safety Act Jurisdiction OSHA Reinstatement Retaliation Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers

How U.S. Supreme Court Ruling On Title VII Retaliation Standard Case May Affect Claims Under Whistleblower & Other...

“But-for” or “mixed motive” is a causation question not unknown to the U.S. Supreme Court. In Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, 490 U.S. 228 (1989), a plurality held that the anti-discrimination provision of Title VII only...more

1/29/2013 - ADEA False Claims Act Mixed Motive Cases Nassar Retaliation SCOTUS Title VII University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Whistleblowers

Jury Awards $960,000 In First Trial Under New Mexico Whistleblower Law

On January 18, 2013, a former New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) employee prevailed in the first case to reach trial under the state’s Whistleblower Protection Act (NMWPA)....more

1/28/2013 - Corruption Hiring & Firing Retaliation Whistleblower Protection Policies Whistleblowers

OSHA Whistleblower Program: Record Number of Cases Filed & Resolved In 2012

OSHA recently released statistics (aggregated by BNA) showing dramatic increases in both the number of whistleblower cases filed with OSHA last year as well as the number of OSHA determinations....more

1/28/2013 - Dodd-Frank OSHA Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers

National Defense Authorization Act: Generous Whistleblower Protections for Employees of Government Contractors On The Horizon

Awaiting President Obama’s signature, Sections 827 and 828 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (NDAA) would enhance the whistleblower protections of contractor and subcontractor employees for the...more

1/2/2013 - DOD Enforcement GAO NASA NDAA Statute of Limitations Whistleblowers

Another Court Breathes Life Into SOX Protected Activity Defenses

The gap between how federal courts and the Administrative Review Board (ARB) define protected activity under Section 806 of SOX widened further this month when the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York...more

12/20/2012 - Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers

Top 10 Ways To Minimize Whistleblower Risks

Here are the TOP 10 STEPS public and private employers should consider taking to minimize the risk of whistleblower retaliation claims and build defenses where litigation is unavoidable....more

12/13/2012 - Compliance Retaliation Training Whistleblower Protection Policies Whistleblowers

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