15 U.S.C. § 7a–3 — Anti-retaliation protection for whistleblowers

(a) Whistleblower protections for employees, contractors, subcontractors, and agents. (1) An employer cannot fire, demote, suspend, threaten, harass, or otherwise discriminate against a "covered individual" for lawfully (A) giving the federal government, or someone at the employer with authority to investigate or stop misconduct, information about a violation, or believed violation, of the antitrust laws — or of another criminal law committed alongside a potential antitrust violation or a related Department of Justice investigation — or (B) causing a federal investigation or proceeding about such a violation to be filed, or testifying in, participating in, or otherwise helping with one. (2) These protections don't apply to someone who (A) planned and started an antitrust violation or attempted one, (B) planned and started another criminal violation alongside an antitrust violation, or (C) planned and started obstructing, or attempting to obstruct, a Department of Justice antitrust investigation. (3) This subsection defines: "antitrust laws" as section 1 or 3 of this title; "covered individual" as an employee, contractor, subcontractor, or agent of an employer; "employer" as a person, or any officer, employee, contractor, subcontractor, or agent of that person; "Federal Government" as a federal regulatory or law-enforcement agency, or any Member of Congress or congressional committee; and "person" as having the same meaning given to it in section 12(a) of this title. (4) A "violation" of the antitrust laws does not include a civil violation of a law that isn't also a criminal violation. (b) Enforcement action. (1) A covered individual who claims discrimination in violation of subsection (a) can seek relief under subsection (c) by (A) filing a complaint with the Secretary of Labor, or (B) if the Secretary hasn't issued a final decision within 180 days and the delay isn't the claimant's fault, filing a lawsuit for a fresh review in the appropriate U.S. district court, which has jurisdiction no matter the dollar amount at stake. (2) A Labor Department complaint follows the procedures in 49 U.S.C. § 42121(b); notice under that provision goes to anyone named in the complaint and to the employer; a lawsuit filed under (b)(1)(B) follows the same burden-of-proof rules as that provision; a Labor Department complaint must be filed within 180 days of the violation; and if someone doesn't comply with a Labor Department order, the Secretary or the person the order protects may sue in federal district court to enforce it. (c) Remedies. (1) A covered individual who prevails under (b)(1) gets whatever relief makes them whole. (2) That includes: (A) reinstatement at the same seniority level the individual would have had without the discrimination; (B) back pay with interest; and (C) compensation for special damages, including litigation costs, expert witness fees, and reasonable attorney's fees. (d) Rights retained by whistleblowers. Nothing in this section reduces any rights, privileges, or remedies a covered individual has under other federal or state law, or under a collective bargaining agreement.