In recent years, whistleblowers have received greater attention. Time magazine made three whistle-blowers its “Persons of the Year” in 2002 in honor of their exposing scandals at Enron, the FBI, and WorldCom.
But for many whistleblowers, a recent New England Journal of Medicine study showed, whistleblowers pay a tremendous personal cost for their disclosures and almost 82% experienced retaliation from employers, including being harassed, blackballed, and fired. In addition, whistleblowers face social ostracism from coworkers, and undergo stressful psychological strain.
As Mark Twain once wrote: “Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by, and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught.”
In this new Insider Exclusive Investigative Network TV Special, WALL STREET- LEHMAN BROTHERS – A WHISTLEBLOWERS NIGHTMARE, our News team goes behind the headlines on location in Oakland, California to visit with Gary Gwilliam and Randy Strauss, Partners at Gwilliam, Ivary, Chiosso, Cavalli & Brewer,
who represent several former employees of Lehman Brothers, who worked at the BNC Mortgage subsidiary….. and who are very special because they complained to their superiors about fraudulent and illegal lending practices as early as 2005.
Each of them was told to look the other way, and then was subjected to retaliation and harassment that was designed to force them to quit. Management brought in a new manager to sexually harass and intimidate them. Eventually, each of them was forced to leave their employment.
BNC was a top-20 subprime mortgage lender in 2006, originating more than $14 billion worth of home loans. Unfortunately, shortly after these whistleblowers made their legal claims, BNC went out of business as part of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, the largest in United States history. This caused a delay in bringing the case to justice that continues to this day.
Each of these Whistleblowers has been waiting 12 years for justice. It has been 10 years since BNC sought protection from the bankruptcy court. Every year that goes by adds ongoing emotional distress, and additional wage loss damages.
The fact that these whistleblowers experienced the same sexual harassment adds to their credibility, and the punitive damages value of each case. It is well past time to bring this case to a fair resolution. The case is still languishing in the New York bankruptcy courts, where it has sat for over a decade.
Whistleblowers serve an important role to both their employers and to the general public by bringing to light an employer’s ethical, or even legal, violations. Because of this, federal and state laws exist to protect certain whistleblowers from retaliation by an outed employer.
The whole point of a whistleblower claim is to correct the actions engaged in by the institution that damage public safety, waste tax dollars, or violate the public trust in government.
Gary Gwilliam and Randy Strauss are dedicated attorneys who advocate on behalf of their clients in cases involving employment disputes such as unpaid wages and overtime, wrongful termination and sexual harassment. They have earned the highest respect from citizens and lawyers alike…. as some of the best Trial Lawyers in Oakland, in California and across the nation.
Their goals…… Not only to get Justice for their clients…but to make sure that everyone is treated with equal respect and dignity as guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States.
They have built a substantial reputation by consistently winning cases other law firms have turned down. Their amazing courtroom skills and headline grabbing success rate continue to provide their clients with the results they need……And the results they deserve.
You can contact Gary Gwilliam and Randy Strauss, Partners at Gwilliam, Ivary, Chiosso, Cavalli & Brewer at http://www.giccb.com 510-832-5411