Philadelphia, PA commercial litigation attorney Stanley Cheiken talks about his experience in handling whistleblower cases. He points out that he has handled whistleblower retaliation claims for more than 30 years, most of which arise in the employment context. These cases typically involve an employee who refuses or objects to participating in conduct that is illegal, fraudulent, or contrary to public policy, and is then subjected to adverse action by the employer.

The most common form of adverse action is termination, though it can also include demotion, reduction of hours, or other measures that significantly diminish the employee’s role or benefits. Retaliation in this context occurs when a company or supervisor punishes an employee solely because he or she refused to engage in unlawful or fraudulent activity.