California Whistleblower Lawyer

If you have information about possible securities violations in California and want to do what’s right by reporting your findings to the SEC, contact a knowledgeable California whistleblower attorney.

Knowing about fraud within your workplace can be difficult to live with. Not only are you likely concerned about the effects on investors, your coworkers, and the public, but you also have to worry about being retaliated against if you come forward with the knowledge you have.

Don’t let these worries impact your life for another minute. Get in touch with an experienced California whistleblower lawyer at Meissner Associates. We’re prepared to help you blow the whistle on investment fraud and open up the door to a financial award for your tip.

How to Qualify for an Award After Blowing the Whistle in California

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has a very specific set of criteria you’ll need to meet in order to qualify for an award through the whistleblower program. To start, your tip needs to be provided voluntarily. If the SEC has already opened up an investigation into your company, you need to come forward before investigators have a chance to start asking questions if you hope to win an award.

The tip you submit must also be original. This means it can’t have come from a public source of knowledge. Gossip you heard at work can qualify, but you need to be the first to speak up about this particular tip in order to be eligible for an award.

Next, the information you provide has to result in the SEC being able to take enforceable action against the person or company committing fraud. Usually, this means your tip needs to contribute in a rather significant way in order to meet eligibility requirements.

It can’t be a trivial piece of information—tips that really allow the SEC to take action are of utmost importance. Additionally, the SEC needs to be able to recover a minimum of $1,000,000 in order for you to be able to receive between 10 and 30 percent of the recovered funds.

Without the assistance of a whistleblower lawyer in California, it’s difficult to know whether you’ll meet these qualifications with the information you have. By discussing the details you have about possible fraud with a professional, you’ll be able to ascertain whether your tip will meet the requirements to win an award.

Examples of Securities Violations

The world of securities fraud can be a confusing one. Whether you are an investor or someone who works within the industry, it can be difficult to recognize when you’ve fallen victim to a scheme. A few types of securities violations in California occur more frequently than you might think, however. They include the following:

When you have information that pertains to any of the aforementioned fraudulent activities or others, you’ll likely want to act on it quickly by reporting your tip to the SEC. Delaying could cause you to lose a well-deserved reward.

Protection from Retaliation

Too many would-be whistleblowers in California hold themselves back from reporting information about such schemes to the SEC due to the very real threat of retaliation.

Although both the Dodd-Frank Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act have built-in protections from retaliatory behaviors like termination, demotion, harassment, creating a hostile work environment, and defamation of your professional reputation, that doesn’t prevent employers from doing these things when they suspect employees of blowing the whistle on their fraudulent activities.

Fortunately, should you fall victim to retaliation by your employer, you do have options. You can file a lawsuit against the company. The SEC can impose fines and sanctions against the violator, while a whistleblower attorney in California will file a suit to enable you to recover lost wages and other damages for the wrongdoing of an employer who retaliated against you.

Call a California Whistleblower Attorney

Coming into confidential information about possible securities violations in California can be a difficult situation to deal with. Don’t go it alone. With the representation of a qualified and experienced lawyer, you will be able to protect your identity while you blow the whistle on the fraudulent activities you’ve become aware of.

Doing so will not only create the opportunity for you to become an award-winning whistleblower, but you’ll also be able to sleep easy knowing you don’t have to worry about being retaliated against for exposing violations.

Contact Meissner Associates today to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation with a California whistleblower lawyer. Get in touch by filling out the secure contact form below or giving our office a call at 1-866-764-3100.