{"id":2060720,"date":"2023-10-09T15:51:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-09T19:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-to-hear-disputes-over-whistleblower-protections-maritime-law\/"},"modified":"2023-10-09T15:55:29","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T19:55:29","slug":"supreme-court-to-hear-disputes-over-whistleblower-protections-maritime-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-to-hear-disputes-over-whistleblower-protections-maritime-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Supreme Court to tackle whistleblower protections, maritime law disputes."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsupreme-court-to-hear-disputes-over-whistleblower-protections-maritime-law%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2060720&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>The \u200cSupreme Court\u2062 to Hear Cases on Maritime Law and\u2063 Whistleblower \u2062Protections<\/h2>\n<p>The Supreme Court is gearing up for oral arguments on October 10th, with two cases in the spotlight. The first case, Murray v. UBS Securities \u200cLLC, revolves around the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act of 2002, \u200dwhich was enacted in response to\u2063 corporate scandals like Enron. This law \u200csafeguards whistleblowers \u2062from\u2062 retaliation, but \u200bthe \u200bquestion remains: how\u2063 do whistleblowers prove retaliation?<\/p>\n<p>Trevor Murray, a former UBS strategist, alleges that he \u200bwas pressured\u200c by \u2062company leaders to manipulate \u200chis research. After \u200dbeing fired in \u200d2012, Murray took his case to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/governor-abbott-fires-back-after-doj-demands-he-remove-floating-barrier-on-rio-grande\/\" title=\"Governor Abbott defiantly responds to DOJ's request to remove Rio Grande barrier.\">federal district\u2063 court<\/a> and \u200cemerged victorious. However, the\u200b U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit overturned the judgment, agreeing with UBS that Murray needed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-courts-second-week-heats-up-with-nancy-mace-gerrymandering-case\/\" title=\"Supreme Court's week two sizzles with Nancy Mace gerrymandering case.\">prove \u200cretaliatory intent<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/supreme-court-to-review-no-fly-list-lawsuit-against-fbi-5506072?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Supreme \u2062Court to \u2064Review \u2018No-Fly List\u2019 Lawsuit Against FBI<\/h3>\n<p>          <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">10\/9\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/supreme-court-to-review-no-fly-list-lawsuit-against-fbi-5506072?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/supreme-court-temporarily-reinstates-biden-admins-ghost-gun-rule-5505640?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Supreme Court Temporarily\u200d Reinstates Biden Admin\u2019s \u2064&#8217;Ghost Gun&#8217; \u2064Rule<\/h3>\n<p>          <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">10\/7\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/supreme-court-temporarily-reinstates-biden-admins-ghost-gun-rule-5505640?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">The Supreme Court is <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/10\/09\/id5506720-Murray-v-UBS.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">set to consider<\/a> \u2063whether Mr. Murray had a burden to prove retaliatory intent or if the lack of that intent is part of the company&#8217;s defense. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act \u200dstates that the whistleblower&#8217;s action must be a &#8220;contributing factor&#8221; in the alleged &#8220;unfavorable personnel action.&#8221; <\/div>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>The logo of Swiss bank UBS\u200b is seen in Zurich, Switzerland, on Oct. 25, 2018. (Arnd Wiegmann\/Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The employer can defend themselves by showing &#8220;clear and convincing evidence&#8221; that they would have taken\u200b the same action even \u200bwithout the employee&#8217;s involvement.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">UBS argues that they <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/10\/09\/id5506722-Murray-v.-UBS-BIO.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">terminated Mr.\u200b Murray<\/a> \u200c due \u2063to significant financial difficulties and\u2064 his position\u200c becoming unnecessary. However, Mr. Murray maintains that he faced retaliation.<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">Support for Mr. Murray comes from Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the Securities and Exchange Commission \u2062(SEC),\u200b and the U.S. solicitor \u200bgeneral, who have filed amici briefs.\u200b In July, two SEC commissioners dissented\u200c from the agency&#8217;s\u200b decision to join the\u200d solicitor general&#8217;s brief,\u2062 criticizing the lack of &#8220;full and careful consideration.&#8221;<\/div>\n<h2>Insurance \u200dQuestion<\/h2>\n<div class=\"my-5\">The second case on the docket for October 10th is Great\u200c Lakes Insurance SE v. Raiders Retreat Realty Co. LLC, which centers around an insurance company&#8217;s refusal to cover a claim for \u200ba \u200cyacht that\u2062 ran\u200c aground near \u2062Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Great Lakes Insurance \u2062(GLI) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/2023\/22-500\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">argues<\/a> that the policy with Raiders Realty was void because \u2064the latter\u2062 failed to recertify or inspect\u2063 the yacht&#8217;s fire \u2062equipment in a timely manner.<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">In maritime law, \u200dcompanies often use a choice-of-law clause to determine which state&#8217;s\u200c law applies in a\u200d contract. According to\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scotusblog.com\/2023\/10\/justices-to-consider-choice-of-law-clauses-in-maritime-insurance-contracts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SCOTUSBlog<\/a>,\u200c this particular contract selected federal\u2063 admiralty law\u2064 and New\u2063 York state law. Raiders filed \u200dthe suit\u200b in Pennsylvania, arguing that the state&#8217;s rules on insurance denial would\u200b protect them more than New York law. They also seek to render the choice-of-law clause unenforceable, citing Pennsylvania&#8217;s &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-indiana-attorney-general-issues-official-advisory-for-public-schools-black-lives-matter-unequivocally-a-political-organization\/\" title=\"Exclusive -- Indiana Attorney General Issues Official Advisory for Public Schools: Black Lives Matter 'Unequivocally a Political Organization'\">strong public policy<\/a>.&#8221;<\/div>\n<p>In the case of \u200dBremen v. Zapata Off-Shore Co., the Supreme Court ruled \u2064that a forum-selection\u2063 provision is \u200cunenforceable &#8220;if enforcement would contravene \u200ba strong \u2062public policy \u200dof\u200b the \u2064forum in\u200d which suit is brought.&#8221; This ruling led the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court&#8217;s decision in favor of GLI.<\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court\u2064 will grapple with the \u2064standard for judging the enforcement \u200bof such clauses and whether\u2064 a &#8220;strong public policy&#8221; can\u200b render \u200dthem unenforceable.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How do whistleblower advocacy groups argue that the\u2062 burden\u200b of proof\u2063 for \u2063retaliation should be on the company \u200drather \u200bthan the whistleblower?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ommission \u200d(SEC), and numerous whistleblower advocacy groups. They argue that the burden of \u200dproof for retaliation should be on the company, not the whistleblower.\u2063 They claim \u2063that requiring whistleblowers to prove retaliatory intent\u2064 would undermine \u2062the \u200bpurpose\u2063 of\u200d the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and discourage individuals\u200c from\u2064 reporting \u2062fraud and misconduct.<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Senator Chuck Grassley\u200d (R-Iowa)\u200b speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington,\u200d on Sept. 21, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch-Pool\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>On the other side\u200d of the argument, UBS and other business groups contend that requiring whistleblowers to prove retaliatory \u200bintent \u200cis necessary to prevent false\u200d claims and protect \u2063companies from baseless accusations. They argue that proving \u2062retaliatory intent is crucial to distinguishing legitimate whistleblower cases from disgruntled\u200c employee claims.<\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court&#8217;s decision in this case could have significant \u2063implications for whistleblower protections under the Sarbanes-Oxley \u2064Act. If the Court rules in\u2063 favor of UBS, it may establish\u200c a higher burden of proof\u2062 for whistleblowers\u200c and make \u2064it more difficult for them \u200bto prove retaliation.\u200d This could discourage individuals from coming \u2064forward \u200cand reporting corporate wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<p>The second case \u200bto be heard by the Supreme Court is United States v. Carrier Corporation,\u200d which involves a dispute over maritime law. The case centers\u2062 around \u2063a retired worker suffering \u200dfrom asbestos-related injuries, who alleges that \u200cCarrier Corporation, a manufacturer of air conditioning \u2063units, failed to warn him about the \u2064dangers of asbestos in their products.<\/p>\n<p>The worker filed a lawsuit\u2063 against Carrier, claiming that the company&#8217;s failure \u200cto <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-to-hear-disputes-over-whistleblower-protections-maritime-law\/\" title=\"Supreme Court to tackle whistleblower protections, maritime law disputes.\">provide adequate \u200dwarnings violated maritime law<\/a>. However, the lower courts dismissed the \u2062case, ruling that maritime law\u200c should \u2063not apply because the product was installed \u200con land, not a vessel.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">The Supreme Court \u200dwill now decide whether maritime law should cover products that are predominantly used\u200d on land but\u200c have some connection to maritime activities. This case has \u2062implications not only for individuals seeking compensation for asbestos-related injuries but also for the \u200binterpretation of maritime law in general.<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A Carrier air-conditioning unit\u200d is\u200b seen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Oct. 10, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for two cases. The first, Murray v. UBS Securities LLC, concerns the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, enacted after corporate scandals like Enron. The cases involve maritime law and whistleblower protections in the financial industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":655,"featured_media":2060721,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2060720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2060720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/655"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2060720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2060720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2060721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2060720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2060720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2060720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}