In Lippman v. Ethicon, Inc., No. A-4318-10T2 (N.J. App. Div., Sept. 4, 2013), the New Jersey Appellate Division held that a pharmaceutical employee hired to be a watchdog—his job was to bring forth issues regarding the safety of company drugs and products—can be a whistleblower under New Jersey’s Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA) simply by virtue of doing his job. Conceding its ruling was a departure from prior Appellate Division jurisprudence, the court set forth a new test to establish a prima facie cause of action under CEPA for such “watchdog” employees: “First, the employee must establish that he or she reasonably believed that the employer’s conduct was violating either a law, government regulation, or a clear mandate of public policy. Second, the employee must establish that he or she refused to participate or objected to this unlawful conduct, and advocated compliance with the relevant legal standards to the employer or to those designated by the employer with the authority and responsibility to comply. To be clear, this second element requires a plaintiff to show he or she either (a) pursued and exhausted all internal means of securing compliance; or (b) refused to participate in the objectionable conduct. Third, the employee must establish that he or she suffered an adverse employment action. And fourth, the employee must establish a causal connection between these activities and the adverse employment action.”
Recommended Reading
California Legislation 2014
California Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law a number of bills that will impact the employer community. A brief summary of these new laws, along with links to the bills, can be found below. Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014—Paid Sick Leave (AB 1522) On September 10, 2014, Governor Brown signed a bill
Single Act of Disobedience Does Not Disqualify Employee From Unemployment Benefits, California High Court Rules
On July 3, 2014, the California Supreme Court decided whether a single act of disobedience by an employee constitutes misconduct within the meaning of section 1256 of California’s Unemployment Insurance Code, thereby disqualifying the employee from receiving unemployment insurance benefits. The court held that the employee’s refusal to sign a…..
Beltway Buzz, March 2, 2018
The Beltway Buzz is a weekly update summarizing labor and employment news from inside the Beltway and clarifying how what’s happening in Washington, D.C. could impact your business.