Whistleblower Law Attorney in Atlanta, GA

In the state of Georgia, “whistleblowers” are protected from retaliation by public employers. If you are employed by the state, or by any local government, the law protects your right to disclose violations of law by officials in your department.

 

Specifically, the Georgia Whistleblower Protection Act, at O.C.G.A. § 45-1-4(d), provides:

(1) No public employer shall make, adopt, or enforce any policy or practice preventing a public employee from disclosing a violation of or noncompliance with a law, rule, or regulation to either a supervisor or a government agency.

 

(2) No public employer shall retaliate against a public employee for disclosing a violation of or noncompliance with a law, rule, or regulation to either a supervisor or a government agency unless the disclosure was made with knowledge that the disclosure was false or with reckless disregard for its truth or falsity.

 

(3) No public employer shall retaliate against a public employee for objecting to or refusing to participate in, any activity, policy, or practice of the public employer that the public employee has reasonable cause to believe is in violation of or noncompliance with a law, rule, or regulation.

 

If you are asked to do something illegal at work, you refuse to participate in illegal activity, or you disclose illegal activity in the workplace, you are protected from retaliation for that disclosure. The law in this area is very important because if you do not do anything once you learn of a violation of the law, the government could be harmed.

 

Because of this, whistleblowers have protection from retaliation when you speak out about illegal conduct. It is important to know your rights in this area and to move quickly as the statutes involved may be very time-sensitive.

 

For example, the Georgia Statute described above is a ONE YEAR statute of limitations. Worth Jarrell attorneys have had great success in protecting the whistleblower rights of our clients.