Whistleblower Law and Legal Definition
A whistleblower refers to an employee reporting about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company. The violation may be against the reporting employee, as with sexual harassment claims, or may be a general violation such as unlawful pollution practices against environmental law.
Whistleblower laws prohibit an employer from firing or otherwise discriminating against an individual because that person reported wrongdoing or waste. Wrongdoing is a violation of a legal or ethical norm designed to protect the interest of the public or the employer. [Rankin v. City of Philadelphia, 963 F. Supp. 463, 470 (D. Pa. 1997)].
