Who Qualifies as a Whistleblower?

Whistleblowers are some of the most important people when it comes to exposing the truth about a company’s misdeeds. Those misdeeds could be about unethical ways they conduct their business, problems with their product that the management knew about, or the poor way that they treat their employees. No matter the problem with the company, it is important that said problem gets exposed if it has any chance of being resolved.

So while we know that whistleblowers are important, it can be unclear as to who qualifies as a whistleblower. The fact is that a lot of different kinds of people can qualify as whistleblowers as long as they have proof of fraud perpetrated by a company. Furthermore, whistleblowers are often eligible for financial rewards for coming forward, which is why whistleblower lawyers in Los Angeles encourage whistleblowers to report what they know. So if you have any knowledge that you wish to share, make sure to contact a whistleblower attorney to make sure that you do it in the right way.

People Who Qualify as Whistleblowers

Anyone who has evidence of fraud or misconduct by a company can be a whistleblower. They can be a current or former employee of the company or they might not have any affiliation with the company at all. Even people who were involved in the fraud or misconduct can become whistleblowers. It is also not necessary for the individual to be an American citizen either. As long as the person has evidence of misconduct, such as emails or other internal documents, they can become a whistleblower.

The Whistleblower Process

If you want to become a whistleblower, then one of the first things you need to do is contact a whistleblower attorney, especially if you are interested in the reward. The rewards process can be complicated, so you will need an experienced lawyer to help you with it. However, the following conditions must be met before a person can become a whistleblower:

• They should have hard evidence of the misconduct, like emails or other forms of documentation.
• The information provided by the person must be original and not from a public source like a newspaper.

Once these conditions are met, the False Claims Act states that the whistleblower must file a complaint in court in addition to submitting it to the government. The person’s attorney will also set up a meeting with the relevant government agency to discuss the claim and the possible reward. Once the claim has been submitted, the investigation process begins. This is the longest part of the process during which the identity of the whistleblower will remain confidential, but they must remain available to answer any questions posed by the government agency in charge of the case.

The identity of the whistleblower is only revealed once the government agency brings the case to court because they will be asked to testify at the trial. Cases where the government is involved tend to be successful, which means that the whistleblower has a good chance of being rewarded for coming forward. If the whistleblower is still employed by the company, then they may face retaliation even though that is illegal. Should that happen, the whistleblower should contact their attorney to help them.

Contact an Attorney If You Want to Become a Whistleblower

The whistleblower process can be a complicated one, but it is also an important one. That is why anyone who has knowledge of a company’s misconduct should hire a whistleblower lawyer to help them. The lawyer will make sure that the person conducts the process in the right way and that they get the reward to which they are entitled. So make sure to get in touch with an attorney if you want to expose the truth.