New Jersey has the toughest whistleblower law in the nation and it just got tougher with the N.J. Supreme Court decision of Lippman v. Ethicon. In this case, decided on July 15, 2015, the Court held that the Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA) applies when the alleged whistleblowing activities are disclosures made by "watchdog" employees in the normal scope of employment. Experts believe that the decision expands the scope of legal protection for a sub-set of employees whose job duties make them whistleblowers.
Legal experts believe this decision poses significant challenges for employers, particularly those in industries that typically employ workers to monitor compliance, such as the pharmaceutical industry. Such individuals are employed for the very purpose of bringing concerns or potential issues to the attention of the company, and as such may engage in activity that is protected under CEPA simply by performing their jobs. But it's clear that CEPA protection could be extended to any employee, any industry that performs a compliance function. Thus, N.J. employers may now deal with a judicially-created sub-class of potentially "untouchable" employees.
Join John J Sarno, president of the Employers Association of New Jersey and a CEPA expert, for this one-hour webinar.
Key Topics
- What Type of Conduct Does the Law Protect
- Who are "watchdog employees"
- Evaluating Potential Whistleblower Charges
- What is Retaliation
- What Kind of Policy is Required
- Penalties for Violating the Law
Registrations Fees:
$55 for EANJ Members & SHRM Partners (unlimited registrations per company)
$95 Non-Members (unlimited registrations per company)
Long distance phone charges will apply
(After registering, confirmation, instructions & reminders will be emailed to you directly from our Conference Service Provider: gotowebinar@citrixonline.com)