Retaliation / Whistleblower Damages Calculator

Whistleblower retaliation claims arise under many federal statutes — Title VII, Sarbanes-Oxley §806, Dodd-Frank §922, OSHA Section 11(c), the False Claims Act qui tam provisions, and others. Most provide back pay (lost wages from termination), front pay (future lost wages), compensatory damages (emotional distress), and attorney's fees. Several provide uncapped damages and additional bounty awards (Dodd-Frank pays 10-30% of SEC sanctions over $1M).

Which Statute To File Under

Strategy depends on what was reported. Securities fraud or SEC violations → SOX §806 (180-day deadline to OSHA) or Dodd-Frank §922 (6-year deadline directly to federal court, uncapped damages + 10-30% bounty if SEC recovers). Workplace safety → OSHA Section 11(c) (30-day deadline). Federal contractor fraud → False Claims Act qui tam (FCA pays 15-30% of government recovery to relator). Title VII protected reports (discrimination, harassment) → Title VII retaliation (180-300 day EEOC deadline). Many cases qualify under multiple statutes — file under all applicable.

Why Whistleblower Cases Settle High

Three factors push whistleblower settlements above equivalent discrimination cases: (1) Optics — defending retaliation against a person who reported genuine wrongdoing is bad for company image and investor relations. (2) Discovery exposure — retaliation cases inevitably surface the underlying wrongdoing the plaintiff reported, creating regulatory and shareholder risk. (3) Statutory damage structure — many whistleblower statutes uncap compensatory damages or provide multipliers, raising the worst-case verdict ceiling. Settlements of $500K-$5M are common in SOX and Dodd-Frank cases. The largest reported individual Dodd-Frank bounty exceeded $279M.

Last updated May 2026. Sources: OSHA Whistleblower Protection.