Whistleblowing

U.S. high court to review scope of Dodd-Frank whistleblower protections 

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to consider whether corporate insiders who blow the whistle on their employers are shielded from retaliation if they only report alleged misconduct internally rather than to the government’s Securities and Exchange Commission.

The justices will hear Digital Realty Trust Inc’s appeal of a lower court ruling in favor of Paul Somers, an executive fired by the San Francisco-based company after he complained internally about alleged misconduct by his supervisor but never reported the matter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The case hinges on the SEC’s whistleblower protection rules required by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law.