The United States Department of Labor and Occupation Safety and Health Administration has ordered Bank of America to pay anemployee $930,000 after they were found to be in violation of the whistleblower protection provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which protects employees from improper firing procedures.
The amount to be paid will cover back wages, interest, compensatory damages and attorney fees. The Los Angeles employee filed a complaint with the San Francisco Office, who found that Bank of America used “illegal retaliatory tactics,” according to news sources.
The employee worked for a company which merged with Bank of America three years ago. He found through internal investigations that wire, mail and bank fraud were occurring within the company before the merger. Allegedly, those who reported fraud received retaliation, and the employee was fired after Bank of America acquired the company.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act exists to protect employees who report on illegal activity of their employers.
As a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, I’m glad that this worker’s rights were protected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. If you feel you have been injured in some way in your workplace, I would advise you to contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible.