Introduction
Whistleblowers play a critical role in exposing financial fraud, threats to public health and safety, and fraud on the Government. Indeed, a recent study concluded that whistleblowers played a bigger role than external auditors, government regulators, self-regulatory organizations, or the media in detecting fraud.
Laws protecting whistleblowers are meant to encourage employees to report illegal practices without fear of reprisal by their employers. These statutes generally use broad language and cover a variety of whistleblowing activities.
Accordingly, when the meaning of the statute is unclear from its text, courts tend to construe it broadly, in favor of protecting the whistleblower. This is often the best way to avoid a nonsensical result and “to effectuate the underlying purposes of the law.”
As long as the racketeering activities produce effects or are intended to produce effects in this country RICO applies.”);
Parsons v. United Technologies, 243 Conn. 66, 700 A.2d 655 (1997)
