Source: http://www.whistleblowerprotectionact.com/tennessee-whistleblower-protections/
Timestamp: 2020-05-30 23:42:55
Document Index: 606606018

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 8', '§ 8', '§ 8', '§ 49', '§ 49', '§ 49', '§ 49', '§ 4', '§ 4', '§ 4', '§ 71', '§ 71', '§ 71']

Tennessee Whistleblower Protections - Whistleblower Protection Act Tennessee Whistleblower Protections - Whistleblower Protection Act
Tennesse Whistleblower Protections
All Tennessee citizens are protected by state and federal whistleblower laws. We have provided information about many of the laws in Tennessee below. For more information about federal laws, click here.
Public Officers And Employees – Miscellaneous Provisions – General Provisions
Education Truth in Reporting and Employee Protection Act of 1989
Employment Relationship and Practices
Public Officers and Employees – Miscellaneous Provisions – General Provisions, TN ST § 8-50-116
TN ST § 8-50-116:
(b)(1) No head of any state department, agency or institution, state employee exercising supervisory authority, other state employee or state contractor shall recommend or act to discharge, demote, suspend, reassign, transfer, discipline, threaten or otherwise discriminate against a state employee regarding the state employee’s evaluation, promotion, compensation, terms, conditions, location or privileges of employment, nor may any state employee or state contractor retaliate against another state employee because the employee, or a person acting on behalf of the employee, reports or attempts to report, verbally or in writing…
TN ST § 8-50-116
(b)(1)(A) The willful efforts of such person or agency or contractor to violate a state or federal law, rule or regulation which had or would have had a material and adverse effect upon program operations or program integrity, or the willful efforts to conceal such a violation;
(B) Acts which constituted fraud against the state, the federal government, the public or any fellow employee;
(C) The willful misappropriation of state or federal resources;
(D) Acts which posed an unreasonable and specific danger to the health or safety of the public or employees; or
(E) Acts constituting gross mismanagement of a program, gross waste of state or federal funds, or gross abuse of authority;
(b)(3) No head of any state department, agency, or institution, state employee exercising supervisory authority, other state employee or state contractor shall recommend or act to discharge, demote, suspend, reassign, transfer, discipline, threaten or otherwise retaliate or discriminate against a state employee regarding the state employee’s evaluation, promotion, compensation, terms, conditions, location, or privileges of employment because the employee refused to carry out a directive if the directive constitutes a violation of state or federal law, rule or regulation, written policy or procedure which materially and adversely affects the operations or integrity of a program or if the directive poses an unreasonable and specific danger to the health or safety of the employee, the employees or the public.
(c) Any state employee injured by a violation of subsection (b) may maintain an action in circuit or chancery court within one (1) year after the occurrence of the alleged violation of this section for
actual damages, injunctive relief, or other remedies provided in this section against the person or agency or state contractor, or any of them, who committed the violation. An act or conduct constituting part of an alleged continuing pattern of violations of this section shall only be considered in calculating any damages if an action is brought within one (1) year of the occurrence of the act.
(d)(1) A court, in rendering a judgment in an action brought pursuant to this section, may order injunctive relief, actual damages, reinstatement of the employee, the payment of back wages, full reinstatement of fringe benefits and seniority rights, costs, reasonable attorney’s fees or any combination thereof.
(2) If an application for a permanent injunction is granted, the employee shall be awarded
Education Truth in Reporting and Employee Protection Act of 1989, TN ST §§ 49-50-1401, et seq.
Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-50-1408 (West)
(a) Any person having knowledge of a knowing or willful falsification within the meaning of §§ 49-50-1404 and 49-50-1405 or the waste or mismanagement of public education funds may report or disclose the falsification, waste or mismanagement to the department of education or committee of the general assembly or individual official, member or employee of the department or committee.
(b) The department shall make a thorough investigation of any written report of falsification, waste or mismanagement. No investigation of anonymous reports shall be required by this part. Reports of alleged falsification, waste or mismanagement shall be confidential only to the extent the person reporting requests that the person’s name not be revealed.
(c) No penalty shall attach to the failure to report and a person reporting shall be presumed to be acting in good faith and shall thereby be immune from any liability, civil or criminal, that might otherwise be incurred or imposed for the reporting.
Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-50-1409 (West):
TN ST §§ 4-18-101 – 4-18-108
Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-18-104 (West)
(c)(1) A person may bring a civil action for a violation of this chapter for the person and either for the state of Tennessee in the name of the state, if any state funds are involved, or for a political subdivision in the name of the political subdivision, if political subdivision funds are involved, or for both the state and political subdivision if state and political subdivision funds are involved. The person bringing the action shall be referred to as the qui tam plaintiff.
Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-18-105 (West)
T.C.A. §§ 71-5-181 – 71-5-185
Tenn. Code Ann. § 71-5-183 (West)
(g) Any employee, contractor, or agent
…lawful acts done by the employee, contractor, agent, or associated others in furtherance of an action under this section or other efforts to stop one (1) or more violations of §§ 71-5-181 — 71-5-185.
(d)(2) If the state does not proceed with an action under this section, the person bringing the action or settling the claim shall receive an amount that the court decides is reasonable for collecting the civil penalty and damages. The amount shall be not less than twenty-five percent (25%) and not more than thirty percent (30%) of the proceeds of the action or settlement and shall be paid out of such proceeds. Such person shall also receive an amount for reasonable expenses which the court finds to have been necessarily incurred, plus reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs. All such expenses, fees, and costs shall be awarded against the defendant.
(b) In addition to all employees in private employment, the provisions of this section shall apply to all employees who receive compensation from the federal government for services performed for the federal government, notwithstanding that such persons are not full-time employees of the federal government.
(1) “Employee” includes an employee of the state, or any municipality, county, department, board, commission, agency, instrumentality, political subdivision or any other entity thereof;
(c) As used in this section, “illegal activities” means activities that are in violation of the criminal or civil code of this state or the United States or any regulation intended to protect the public health, safety or welfare.
(e)(1) No employee shall be discharged or terminated solely for participating or engaging in the use of an agricultural product not regulated by the alcoholic beverage commission that is not otherwise proscribed by law, if such employee participates or engages in such use in a manner that complies with all applicable employer policies regarding such use during times at which such
employee is working.
(2) No employee shall be discharged or terminated solely for participating or engaging in the use of such product not regulated by the alcoholic beverage commission that is not otherwise
proscribed by law if such employee participates or engages in such activity during times when such employee is not working.
Any employee terminated in violation of subsection (a) shall have a cause of action against the employer for retaliatory discharge and any other damages to which the employee may be entitled.
(2) Any employee terminated in violation of subsection (a) solely for refusing to participate in, or for refusing to remain silent about, illegal activities who prevails in a cause of action against an
employer for retaliatory discharge for such actions shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorney fees and costs.