A worker who was terminated from T-Mobile is set to receive $349,972 in settlement funds per an order of the US Department of Labor.
The worker is from Bellevue Washington and was fired from his job at T-Mobile in April 2009. An investigation was later launched by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Seattle regarding violations of the whistleblower protection regulations as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
Prior to being fired, the worker made allegations against his employer for generating millions of dollars in fraudulent charges being generated for roaming charges by international corporate customers. The worker complained and was then terminated.
After OSHA’s investigation, T-Mobile was required to give the employee his job back in addition to the monetary reward. A total of $244, 479 was awarded for back wages plus interest. Compensatory damages totaled $65,000 and the worker was also awarded attorney’s fees totaling $36,493. T-Mobile is additionally required to provide the worker with a neutral employment reference.
In addition to the settlement, T-Mobile must now post information about the whistleblower provisions in the Sarbanes Oxley Act. All T-Mobile employees must be trained about the regulations. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act offer protection to employees who are willing to report violations of federal laws concerning fraud against shareholders. The laws forbid the retaliation against employees who raise concerns or provide information to their employer or to the Department of Labor.