Plaintiff then appealed to the Court of Appeals, which affirmed. We granted plaintiff's application for leave to appeal. Our review is de novo. The first step in discerning intent is to examine the language of the statute in question. We read the language according to its ordinary and generally accepted meaning.
Judicial construction is authorized only where it lends itself to more than one interpretation.
We also consider that remedial statutes, such as the Whistleblowers' Protection Act, are to be liberally construed, favoring the persons the Legislature intended to benefit. B Plaintiff alleges that he was fired because DSI believed it was he who blew the whistle. Plaintiff argues that, because the employer has undertaken the action the statute appears to forbid, firing an employee believed to have reported a violation, the act should punish the employer. Plaintiff's argument requires us to examine the Whistleblowers' Protection Act. Shallal, supra at 610.