Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower Protections can Include Private Company Employees

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law Offices:

On March 4th, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the whistleblower protection provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act protect the employees of a public company’s private contractors. The plaintiffs were employees of the investment advisor to a mutual fund. They claim they were wrongly fired after reporting a putative fraud concerning the mutual funds. Defendants sought dismissal, contending that the Act’s whistleblower protections did not cover plaintiffs because plaintiffs were employed by the advisor, a private company, and not the SEC-registered mutual funds. The Supreme Court disagreed. It held that when read as a whole, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act includes the employees of a public company’s contractor.

The attorneys of Eccleston Law Offices represent investors and advisers nationwide in securities and employment matters. Our attorneys draw on a combined experience of nearly 50 years in delivering the highest quality legal services.

Leave a Reply