East Los Angeles Medical Whistleblower Retaliation Lawyer

East Los Angeles Medical Whistleblower Retaliation Attorney

East Los Angeles has exciting opportunities in the medical field with several hospitals and the health department offering a full range of services from emergency services, primary care, and public health roles. It may be your passion to provide care for others, but you shouldn’t face harassment after whistleblowing. An East Los Angeles medical whistleblower retaliation lawyer can review the facts of your case and offer guidance and support.

Hire a Medical Whistleblower Retaliation Lawyer

Working in the healthcare industry is a stressful job, often with long hours and underappreciative employers. If your job stress has been compounded by retaliation behaviors from whistleblowing, you need a medical whistleblower retaliation lawyer ready to fight for your rights. Shirazi Law Firm, PC has worked in employment law since 2011 and has the skills to represent your interests through negotiations and litigation.

Employment in the Medical Sector

Information collected by KFF, a prominent U.S. health policy organization, identified hospitals as the sixth largest employer in the country, with 6.7 million employees in 2023.

Looking at the entire healthcare industry, a 2023 report by the Labor Center at UC Berkeley revealed that 2.65 million California residents, or 14% of the state’s workforce, were employed in the healthcare industry. The report included individuals employed at hospitals, physician offices, outpatient clinics, home health agencies, nursing homes, and other medical facilities.

Protected Activities in the Workplace

In California, laws are in place to shield employees from employer retaliation after engaging in legally protected activities. These activities include:

• Reporting law violations that cover a range of issues, such as wage theft, unsafe working conditions, discrimination, and harassment
• Reporting ethics violations that protect employees who report illegal or unethical employer activities, which could include fraud or environmental infractions
• Cooperating with an investigation that protects employees from penalties for participating in investigations against their company, including participating in interviews or testifying in court
• Filing a complaint, whether the employee files a complaint internally with the company’s human resources department or externally with a state or federal agency

Retaliation Behaviors in the Workplace

An employee who engages in a protected action often fears retaliation, which is generally defined as any adverse action taken by an employer that would not have occurred otherwise. Common forms of retaliation may include:

• Termination or layoffs
• Pressuring an employee to resign
• Demotion or a pay cut
• Unjustified negative performance reviews
• Reduced work hours
• An increased workload or assignment of undesirable tasks
• Exclusion from meetings or assignments
• Creation of a hostile work environment

Laws Designed to Protect Healthcare Workers

The healthcare industry presents distinct challenges, operating in a fast-paced environment where mistakes can have life-threatening consequences, which heightens the need for accountability and safety measures. To protect healthcare workers who report unlawful or unethical behaviors, California has enacted several whistleblower laws, including:

• California Labor Code 6310 prohibits retaliation against employees who complain about health or safety conditions.
• California Labor Code 6311 protects employees from retaliation if they refuse to perform work that would violate a safety standard and create a hazard.
• California Labor Code Section 1102.5 prohibits retaliation when an employee discloses information to a government or law enforcement agency about a suspected violation of the law.
• California Health and Safety Code Section 1278.5 specifically prevents health facilities from retaliating against employees or patients for reporting or participating in the investigation of the quality of care at the facility.

FAQs About East Los Angeles, CA Medical Whistleblower Retaliation Laws

What Evidence Does a Whistleblower Need?

A whistleblower needs credible evidence of their claim. Consulting with a knowledgeable medical whistleblower retaliation attorney in East Los Angeles can help give you an idea of which evidence to collect. Common types of evidence in a whistleblower case may include financial records, communications, documents, policies, eyewitness statements, and personnel records. You should secure your evidence in a safe place, but ensure you collect evidence in accordance with privacy policies.

What Is the Statute of Limitations on Whistleblower Retaliation in California?

Depends on what type the protected conduct was.  Could be up to 3-4 years, but you need to speak to an attorney immediately.

There is a one-year statute of limitations when employees are prevented from taking time off to testify or appear in court as the victim of a crime.

What Is the California Whistleblower Protection Act?

The California Whistleblower Protection Act, enacted in 2000, offers protections to state employees from retaliation by their employer after reporting unlawful work conditions. State employees are encouraged to report instances of waste, fraud, abuses of power, unlawful behaviors, or public health threats without fearing retaliation. The Act also established new penalties for engaging in retaliation, including up to $10,000 in fines and up to one year in jail.

How to Prove You Were Fired for Whistleblowing?

When trying to prove you were fired for whistleblowing, you have to show proof that you engaged in a protected activity, that your employer knew you engaged in that activity, and you were the victim of an adverse action by your employer, in this case, being fired. In California, the burden of proof then falls on your employer to prove that the adverse activity taken against you was due to a reason other than the protected activity.

Which U.S. Department of Labor Agencies Are Responsible for Anti-Retaliation and Whistleblower Laws?

The U.S. Department of Labor has several agencies that investigate whistleblower retaliation claims. Some of those agencies include the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, the Wage and Hour Division, and the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service departments.

Contact Shirazi Law Firm, PC

If you work in the healthcare field and are experiencing retaliatory behaviors by your employer after engaging in whistleblower activities, hire a medical whistleblower retaliation lawyer.