Whistleblower Protection Attorneys in Moline, IL

A whistleblower is a courageous individual who reveals confidential information and exposes wrongdoing or unethical practices within an organization, whether in the private or public sector. This disclosure could pertain to violations of company policies, regulations, laws, threats to national security or public interest, fraud, corruption, or other forms of misconduct.


Whistleblowers may choose to report their concerns internally or externally, often turning to third parties such as the media or government agencies to bring their accusations to light. The process of whistleblowing is complex and can be fraught with tension. It’s crucial for whistleblowers to seek legal guidance to ensure they are protected under the law. At Katz Law Firm, our trusted whistleblower protection attorneys are dedicated to supporting whistleblowers through this challenging process, ensuring their claims are handled in accordance with legal standards.


If you are considering blowing the whistle on misconduct, aligning yourself with an experienced whistleblower lawyer is essential. From protecting against retaliation to navigating the whistleblower protection act, our team at Katz Law Firm offers comprehensive legal services to ensure your rights are protected. Whether you need assistance from a whistleblower protection lawyer, a whistleblower retaliation attorney, or support under the federal whistleblower protection act, we are here to guide you every step of the way.

Illinois Expands Whistleblower Protections!

Effective January 1, 2025, the Illinois Whistleblower Act (IWA) provides stronger protections for employees who receive adverse employment action because they report unlawful employer conduct. Key changes to this statute include:

  • Protection for Internal Reports – Employees no longer need to report misconduct to external government or law enforcement agencies; internal disclosures to supervisors, bosses, board members etc. are now sufficient.
  • Stronger Retaliation Protections – Covers adverse actions like demotions, wage cuts, threats and even interference with future employment. Previously, only termination was illegal.
  • More Employee-Friendly Standard – Employees only need a "good faith" belief that their employer’s activity, practice or policy either violated a state or federal law, rule or regulation; OR , the activity, practice or policy poses a substantial and specific danger to employees, public health or safety
  • Expanded Remedies – Increased penalties, including financial compensation, 9% prejudgment interest on lost wages, $10,000 civil penalty payable to the employee and additional "liquidated damages" up to $10,000 .

Illinois now joins states like New York and California in offering comprehensive whistleblower protections. If you suspect workplace misconduct, you have rights!

What Qualifies as a Whistleblower?

Being a whistleblower means taking a professional risk and tremendous personal sacrifice. When you blow your whistle, you need to be guaranteed protection against retaliation.

Whistleblower protection laws provide whistleblowers protection against harassment, discrimination, and reprisal. The whistleblower gets the right to file a private legal complaint or declare a claim in the event the whistleblower suffers retaliation for whistleblowing.

 A whistleblower retaliation transpires when you get sacked, relegated, suspended, threatened, intimidated, harassed, or subjected to harsh work conditions after pursuing a protected whistleblower activity.

The Process

There are four general activities involved in whistleblowing process:
  1. Reporting: This is where the whistleblower makes a complaint to a government agency, an organization or employer regarding the alleged law violated.
  2. Filing: This is an initiation of a lawsuit or other lawful procedures.
  3. Testifying: This includes providing oral statements in a legal proceeding.
  4. Opposing: This provides for refusing to perform a task or activity that you reasonably believe is illegal.

Types of Whistleblower Laws

There are quite a few laws that exist to ensure that a whistleblower is protected. Your whistleblowing right of protection will depend upon those laws that apply to your current case. If you happen to be a victim of whistleblower retaliation, the advice is to seek legal advice from a trusted whistleblower retaliation attorney. Our attorneys provide legal whistleblower services all across the Quad Cities region. There exist some federal whistleblowers protective laws that protect agents from whistleblower reprisal and retaliation, contractors, and employees. Let us look at some of them.
  • Federal False Claims Act (FCA): This protects whistleblowers from retaliation after raising a claim against or opposing government fraud.
  • Dodd-Frank Act (DFA): Offers protection to whistleblowers against retaliation after they provide original details of the matter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodities Futures Trading Commission or the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. 
  • Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX): The act protects whistleblowers from reprisal when they complain about violations of wire fraud, bank fraud, mail fraud, security fraud, breach of SEC rules and regulations or, federal law regarding fraud against shareholders.
  • Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA): Protects employees whistleblowers in the federal government from retaliation after they report wrongdoing.
Regardless of the circumstances of your claim, our whistleblower attorneys have the expertise and vast knowledge needed to take the proper steps to protect your rights and help you obtain the full whistleblower award to which you are entitled. With our unmatched experience to assess your claim, help you collect and gather evidence and convince the government to be involved, We help you fight for the maximum available whistleblower award, and work to safeguard your privacy.