For most employees, we tend to think the best of our employers and think they’re acting ethically, responsibly, and especially legally. But what happens if we find out our company may have been involved in some less-than-honorable business practices? How about downright illegal ones? How one proceeds can lead to some very tricky legal situations for all involved.
To be sure, this can be a tough spot for an employee to find themselves in. Do we report on company misconduct and risk getting fired? Luckily, there are laws in place to help protect employees who want to report fraud or illegal conduct in the workplace. This is a brief summary of “whistleblower†laws in Wyoming.
Whistleblower Laws
Just about every state has some regulations that prohibit an employer from retaliating against an employee who reports illegal, dangerous, or otherwise unethical business practices. These are known as "whistleblower" laws, and are designed to shield employees from demotion or firing if they come forward with important information. Under Wyoming’s whistleblower laws, employees in both private and public positions are protected from retaliation by their employers.
Wyoming Whistleblower Statutes
Some of Wyoming's whistleblower laws are highlighted in the following table.
| Code Section | 27-11- 109(e) |
| Prohibited Employer Activity | Cannot discharge or discriminate if employee files a notice of complaint or institutes a proceeding or testifies as to a violation of the occupational health and safety statutes |
| Protection for Public or Private Employees? | Both |
| Opportunity for Employer to Correct? | - |
| Remedies | - |
| Penalties | - |
As you can see, Wyoming’s whistleblower laws provide protection for both public employees at the state level and private sector employees. The federal government also has protections that apply to whistleblowers who believe their company has defrauded the government. These employees are allowed to file what are known as “qui tam actions,†and are defended from employer retaliation by the federal False Claims Act. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 also protects whistleblowers in cases of securities, shareholder, and other kinds of fraud.
Wyoming Whistleblower Laws: Related Resources
Navigating state and federal employment law can be a complex and confusing process. If you would like legal assistance with a corporate malfeasance or employment case, you can contact a Wyoming whistleblower attorney. You can also visit FindLaw’s Employment Law section for more articles and resources on this topic.
