Doctor Claimed Whistleblower Retaliation Was Reason for Firing

One place where people in California expect to be safe and receive the care needed to get better is at a hospital. Therefore, they expect that the hospital and its staff will ensure that the hospital is safe and patients are receiving the proper care. The people who work at hospitals also expect to be safe while they work and expect their employers to ensure their safety. If these safety concerns are not being addressed though, people would expect that staff members would speak up and ensure that the proper safety measures are being followed.

This is exactly what a county doctor did recently, but was eventually fired for making the complaints instead of fixing the problems. Patients were making complaints to the doctor about patient care and staff complained about their safety, especially in the psychiatric unit where staff had been assaulted by patients. So, the doctor brought these concerns to the board and they in turn fired him. The doctor sued the hospital claiming whistleblower retaliation for making these complaints. The doctor was recently awarded $1.5 million as a result of this lawsuit.

It is important that all places of business are following the law and not creating hostile work environments for their employees. So, if these things are not happening, the employees need to be allowed to bring these concerns to their superiors or law enforcement depending on the concerns. If they do so, the workers are protected from whistleblower retaliation. If the employer does retaliate by firing the employee or taking other types of actions, the employee may be entitled to compensation like the doctor above.

When employees in California make complaints or report illegal activity to law enforcement, employers may be upset and retaliate against the employee for doing so. However, it is important that employees bring these concerns to superiors or report illegal activity to law enforcement. So, these employees are protected and if employers do retaliate, they may need to compensate the victims. Experienced attorneys understand these complicated matters and may be able to help protect employees’ rights.