Question

Erin works for a dry-cleaning company that has a contract with the U.S. government. To save on cleaning fluid, her boss orders her to wash some clothes that are supposed to be dry-cleaned in a washing machine. When the courier hired to pick up the cleaned garments arrives, Erin tells him about her boss' actions. Erin tells no one else about what is going on and is later fired. Erin: a. is not protected by the whistleblower statute because she failed to inform the proper party of the contract violation. b. is protected by the whistleblower statute in her state because she spoke up about her employer's actions. c. will be reinstated to her former job, because when she told the courier of the problem she was merely exercising her First Amendment right to free speech. d. is not protected by the state whistleblower statute. It is inapplicable because the contract was with the federal government.

Answer 1

Answer:

A) is not protected by the whistleblower statute because she failed to inform the proper party of the contract violation.

Explanation:

A whistleblower is someone who exposes illegal or unethical activities carried on by public or private organizations including government entities, businesses, other non-profit organizations, etc.

Gossiping about what happens in an organization is not exposing their wrongful activities, in order for an individual to be considered a whistleblower, he/she must inform the illegal or unethical activities to the public authorities.