The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank” Act) was signed into federal law by President Obama in 2010. The stated purpose of the Dodd-Frank Act is to promote the financial stability of the United States by improving accountability and transparency in the financial system, to end “too big to fail”, to protect the American taxpayer by ending bailouts, to protect consumers from abusive financial services practices, and for other purposes. Dodd-Frank amended Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) in several respects, significantly increasing the protections available to whistleblowers in the financial services industry. Under Dodd-Frank, which applies to both public and privately held companies, an employer cannot retaliate against an employee for disclosing any information that is protected or required under SOX; the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and any other law, rule or regulation subject to the jurisdiction of the SEC. Information that is relevant includes facts relating to activities such as: insider trading; Ponzi schemes; failure to file reports; bribing foreign officials; manipulation of stock price; misleading or false statements; and misappropriation or theft of funds. Dodd-Frank also protects employees who report truthful information relating to federal crimes. An employee who prevails in Dodd-Frank retaliation litigation may receive up to twice the amount of wages lost to retaliation, as well as attorneys’ fees. Dodd-Frank also created an SEC Whistleblower Rewards Program which allows for whistleblowers to receive cash awards between 10% and 30% of the amounts that the SEC recovers based on the whistleblower’s report. If you have information about Dodd-Frank violations by a private or publicly held company, or if you feel you have been retaliated against for reporting Dodd-Frank violations CONTACT US to schedule a consultation with Ms. Smith to discuss your legal rights and potential representation.