Environmental Whistleblower Lawyer New Orleans & Baton Rouge

Environmental Whistleblower Lawyer

Is your employer violating environmental laws? Are you facing retaliation because you reported your company for illegally polluting, disposing of oil, chemicals, waste or improperly removing asbestos?

It’s not fair, nor is it legal.

Employees who report illegal pollution of the environment provide a critical service, which is why federal and state laws provide solid whistleblower protections for them. The government doesn’t have enough investigators and regulators to constantly protect the public from businesses that pollute, falsify compliance reports, or cut corners on clean-up and waste disposal practices. We have the right to expect employers to follow the law and keep our land, air, water and natural wildlife free from illegal pollution. Without heroes like you, the environment would be significantly compromised, and we thank you for your courage.

If you were subjected to workplace harassment or wrongfully terminated after objecting to your employer’s actions, contact the law office of Robert B. Landry III PLC, in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. You may be eligible for the following types of compensation:

Job reinstatement
Triple economic damages
Back pay, which refers to the amount you would have earned in the past if whistleblower retaliation had not occurred
Front pay, which is what you would have earned in the past if whistleblower retaliation had not occurred
Attorney’s fees
Compensatory damages for distress and injury to your reputation

Certain environmental statutes also allow exemplary or punitive damages in especially egregious cases. An environmental whistleblower lawyer in New Orleans can help you pursue the damages that your case deserves.

What Laws Protect Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Whistleblowers?

Six federal laws prohibit workplace retaliation against employees who report violations of environmental regulations, including but not limited to illegal disposal of waste and toxic materials.

Louisiana law contains powerful protections for environmental whistleblowers. The Constitution of the State of Louisiana, Article IX, § 1 states that Louisiana’s environment “shall be protected . . . consistent with the health, safety, and welfare of the people.” Accordingly, the Louisiana Environmental Whistleblower Statute, La. R.S. 30:2027, protects employees who report violations of any environmental law, rule, or regulation, including federal environmental laws and prevents retaliation. Whistleblowers who prevail are entitled to triple damages for lost wages and lost anticipated wages not to exceed three years, in addition to emotional distress damages, costs, and attorney fees.

What Environmental Whistleblower Protections are Available?

Federal environmental protection laws and the Louisiana whistleblower statute prohibit your employer from retaliating against you when you do any of the following:

Make an internal report of any environmental law violations to a supervisor
Report or threaten to report environmental violations to government agencies
Report or threaten to report to law enforcement
File a whistleblower lawsuit
Testify in a court proceeding
Support or participate in an investigation of the employer

Unfortunately, not all employers respect these rights. Talk to a New Orleans employment attorney or Baton Rouge employment lawyer if you’ve suffered any adverse action after participating in a protected activity. Attorney Robert B. Landry III can help you hold your company accountable when it penalizes you for doing the right thing.

How Can I Prove Unlawful Discrimination?

To pursue an unlawful discrimination lawsuit under one of the environmental statutes, you generally need to show that you engaged in a protected activity, your employer knew about it and took adverse action against you, and that adverse action was related to the protected activity.

Prohibited retaliatory actions include firing or demoting you, reducing your salary, denying you a promotion or benefits, harassment, and other actions intended to dissuade you from pursuing an environmental whistleblower lawsuit. To learn more about environmental whistleblower protections available to you, talk to an environmental whistleblower lawyer in Baton Rouge.

How Can an Environmental Whistleblower Lawyer Help Me?

An environmental whistleblower lawyer will first determine if you have a strong case. Developing a powerful whistleblower retaliation case requires an in-depth investigation and a carefully planned course of action. The law office of Robert B. Landry III PLC develops a strategy for your success by:

Assessing all documents, evidence, and witnesses in your case to uncover its unique facts and circumstances
Developing a proactive plan to help you avoid future retaliation
Taking legal action when necessary to recover your losses and injuries

Environmental whistleblower laws are complicated. Your case requires a specific strategy based on the facts and whistleblower laws that apply to it. Our office will help you develop that strategy so that you can seek justice.

Speak with an Environmental Whistleblower Attorney Today

It is critical to act quickly, as the timeline for filing a complaint under some statutes with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) can be as short as thirty days after your employer retaliates against you.

Attorney Robert B. Landry III has experience representing wronged employees in environmental laws proceedings, both before the U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA and in federal court. He will give his honest opinion on your case and, if it proceeds, help you hold your employer accountable for its actions against the environment and against you. For more information, please contact us.