January 31, 2025
Federal Court Rules in Favor of Whistleblower Protections
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Today, in a landmark victory for due process, the Eastern District of North Carolina denied Perdue Farms Inc.’s motions for a preliminary injunction attempting to halt on-going proceedings in a system designed to level the playing field between individual whistleblowers and the better-resourced corporations they challenge. In the January 17 hearing, Government Accountability Project represented whistleblower client, Craig Watts, to defend his right to bring his whistleblower retaliation claims before DOL adjudicatory bodies under the Food Safety Modernization Act, which could have implications far beyond the poultry industry, as whistleblower protection laws applicable to numerous other industries are adjudicated through similar procedures under DOL’s authority. The federal court’s decision today allows Watts’ retaliation case to continue through the correct channels.
Watts, a former Perdue contract poultry farmer, came forward nearly a decade ago with disclosures about industry practices affecting farmers and consumers. He alleges that Perdue retaliated against him for speaking out, forcing him to bring his case through a complaint filed with the Department of Labor under the whistleblower protection provisions of the FSMA, which includes specific procedures for the investigation and adjudication of such claims by the Office of Administration Law Judges (DOL OALJ) and review in...
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