Whistleblower Update

Good news for whistleblowers: Last week, the Fifth Circuit issued a seminal decision in Halliburton v. Admin. Review Bd on the scope of Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower protection, holding that 1) “outing” a whistleblower is a prohibited adverse action; 2) the “contributing factor” causation standard does not require a showing of a retaliatory motive; and 3) Sarbanes Oxley affords noneconomic compensatory damages, including emotional distress and reputational harm. If you have any questions about your whistleblower activity, please contact HKW and Doug Kertscher directly at 678-384-7440.