Attorney Scott Eckersley on Whistleblower Laws

1. Attorney Scott Eckersley on Whistleblower Laws
Whistleblowers provide the public and the authorities with information about the wrongdoings of
officials, government agencies, and corporations. In recent years, whistleblowers have been credited
with revealing the malfeasance of companies such as WorldCom and Enron, as well as lapses in
national security. A number of laws on state and federal levels attempt to protect whistleblowers.
Although most whistleblower protection laws were enacted relatively recently, the first was actually
passed in 1863, with the False Claims Act. Signed into law by Abraham Lincoln and instituted during
the Civil War to prevent companies from selling fake gunpowder to Union troops, the act encouraged
people to report firms and individuals defrauding the government. In 1986, Congress altered the False
Claims Act to include anti-retaliation measures, with the promise that a whistleblower could receive up
to 30 percent of a lawsuit against a company's proceeds, but that fines would be levied for fake reports.
About the Author:
A Missouri attorney, Scott Eckersley serves as General Counsel for Employers Health Network, LLC.
Several years ago, Eckersley acted as a whistleblower against former Missouri governor Matt Blunt.
Currently, he advocates for improved state and federal whistleblower laws.