Whistleblowing

Under the D.C. Whistleblower Protection Act (DCWPA), a supervisor or employer is prohibited from retaliating against an employee of the government of the District of Columbia or a D.C. government contractor because of the employee’s protected disclosure or refusal to engage in an illegal act. Employees must bring an action in D.C. Superior Court within one year of the prohibited action by the employer.

A “protected disclosure” is any disclosure made by an employee to a supervisor or a public body  (such as a city council) that is not prohibited by any statute and that evidences:

• gross mismanagement;
• gross misuse or waste of public resources or funds;
• a violation of any state, local or federal statute;
• abuse of authority in connection with the administration of a public program, or the execution of a public contract;
• a violation of any contractual terms between the D.C. government and a public contractor;
• or a substantial and specific danger to the health, safety, or protection of the environment.

There may also be other whistleblower laws that apply, such as the IRS Whistleblower Program for reporting taxpayer fraud or misclassification, or the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that uncovers corporate fraud or unlawful activity.

Kindly contact our office if you feel that you have been retaliated against because of your whistleblowing activities.