On September 30, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia granted an employer’s motion to dismiss a Dodd-Frank whistleblower claim on the ground that the alleged whistleblower did not complain to the SEC prior to his termination.  The court also granted Plaintiff’s SOX whistleblower claim as against three affiliates of Plaintiff’s employer, holding that Plaintiff had failed to exhaust administrative remedies as to those defendants because he did not specify the allegedly wrongful conduct attributable to each of them in his administrative complaint.  Slawin v. Bank of America Merchant Services., et al., No. 19-cv-04129 (N.D. Ga. Sept. 30, 2020).

Background

Plaintiff, a former Vice President and Operations Control Officer at the Company, filed a whistleblower retaliation action against Company, its parent, and two joint venturers (the “non-Company Defendants”), alleging his employment was terminated in retaliation for his complaints regarding Company’s purported failure to comply with Payment Card Industry (“PCI”) standards.  Specifically, he alleged that the Company, an entity that provided payment processing services to other companies and municipalities, not only failed to handle consumers’ personal data in compliance with PCI standards, but also knowingly misled its customers into believing that it was, in fact, PCI compliant.  Following his termination, Plaintiff filed whistleblower retaliation complaints with the SEC and OSHA, alleging wrongful conduct by the Company but only naming the remaining defendants in the context of explaining their relationship to the Company.

All four Defendants moved to dismiss, with the Company moving as to Plaintiff’s Dodd-Frank and CFPA claims, and the three remaining defendants seeking dismissal of the entire complaint as against them. Specifically, Defendants argued that Plaintiff’s Dodd-Frank claim should be dismissed because he failed to make a report to the SEC prior to his termination, and his CPFA claim should be dismissed because Defendants did not qualify as “covered persons” or “service providers” under that statute because they did not provide services to “customers.”  The three non-Company Defendants further argued that Plaintiff’s SOX and CFPA claims should be dismissed as to them because Plaintiff failed to exhaust his administrative remedies by not attributing any alleged conduct to them in his SEC or OSHA complaints.

Ruling

Relying on the Supreme Court’s decision in Digital Realty Tr., Inc. v. Somers, 138 S. Ct. 767 (2018) (our post on that decision is here), the court held that because Plaintiff did not provide information to the SEC before his termination, he did not qualify as a “whistleblower” under Dodd-Frank at the time of the alleged retaliation.  Accordingly, the court dismissed Plaintiff’s Dodd-Frank claim as to all Defendants.

Similarly, the court granted the non-Company Defendants’ motion as to Plaintiff’s SOX claim, holding that Plaintiff had failed to exhaust his administrative remedies as to them.  Specifically, relying on the Eleventh Circuit’s unpublished decision in Smith v. Psychiatric Sols., Inc., 358 Fed. Appx. 76, 78 (11th Cir. 2009), in which that court affirmed a decision finding lack of exhaustion against defendants not named as respondents in the administrative complaint.  After specifically noting that it did not read Smith as adopting a per se rule requiring naming a SOX defendant as a respondent in an administrative complaint to exhaust remedies as to that defendant, the court noted that the few references to these defendants in Plaintiff’s OSHA Complaint were insufficient.

Implications

This decision serves as a reminder that Dodd-Frank’s anti-retaliation provisions are only triggered where a plaintiff makes a pre-termination external report to the SEC.  It also highlights an avenue to seek dismissal of a SOX whistleblower retaliation complaint naming multiple corporate defendants where the plaintiff does not sufficiently specify in an administrative complaint alleged wrongful acts committed by each defendant.

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Photo of Steven J. Pearlman Steven J. Pearlman

Steven J. Pearlman is a partner in the Labor & Employment Law Department, where he is Head of the Restrictive Covenants, Trade Secrets & Unfair Competition Group and Co-Head of the Whistleblowing & Retaliation Group.

Employment, Whistleblower, Restrictive Covenant and Trade Secret Practice.

Steven J. Pearlman is a partner in the Labor & Employment Law Department, where he is Head of the Restrictive Covenants, Trade Secrets & Unfair Competition Group and Co-Head of the Whistleblowing & Retaliation Group.

Employment, Whistleblower, Restrictive Covenant and Trade Secret Practice. Steven’s national practice focuses on defending companies in federal and state courts and arbitration against claims of: discrimination, retaliation and harassment, including claims brought by high-level executives; whistleblower retaliation; restrictive covenant violations; theft of trade secrets; and wage-and-hour violations (including class, collective and PAGA actions).

Illustrating his versatility, Steven has successfully handled bench and jury trials in multiple jurisdictions (e.g., Illinois, California, Florida and Texas); defended one of the largest Illinois-only class actions in the history of the federal courts in Chicago; and prevailed following his oral arguments before the Seventh Circuit and state appellate courts. Steven brings his litigation experience to bear in counseling clients to minimize risk and avoid or prepare for success in litigation.

Investigations. Reporting to boards of directors, their audit committees, CEOs and in-house counsel, Steven conducts sensitive investigations and has testified in federal court. His investigations have involved complaints of sexual harassment involving C-suite officers; systemic violations of employment laws and company policies; and fraud, compliance failures and unethical conduct.

Thought Leadership and Accolades. Steven was named Lawyer of the Year for Chicago Labor & Employment Litigation in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. He was also named as One of the Top 10 Impactful Labor & Employment Lawyers in Illinois for 2023 by Business Today. He is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Chambers describes Steven as an “outstanding lawyer” who is “very sharp and very responsive,” a “strong advocate,” and an “expert in his field.” Chambers also reports that “He is someone who can navigate the twists and turns of litigation without difficulty. Steven is great with brief-writing, crafting arguments, and making sure the client is always happy.”

Steven was 1 of 12 individuals selected by Compliance Week as a “Top Mind.” Earlier in his career, he was 1 of 5 U.S. lawyers selected by Law360 as a “Rising Star Under 40” in the area of employment law and 1 of “40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch” selected by Law Bulletin Publishing Company. Steven is a Burton Award Winner (U.S. Library of Congress) for “Distinguished Legal Writing.”

Steven was appointed to Law360’s Employment Editorial Advisory Board and selected as a Contributor to Forbes.com. He has appeared on Bloomberg News (television and radio) and Yahoo! Finance, and is often quoted in leading publications such as The Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has engaged Steven to serve as lead counsel on amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court and federal circuit courts of appeal. He was appointed to serve as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois in employment litigation matters. He has presented with the Solicitor of the DOL, the Acting Chair of the EEOC, an EEOC Commissioner, Legal Counsel to the EEOC, and heads of the SEC, CFTC and OSHA whistleblower programs. He is also a member of the Sedona Conference, focusing on trade secret matters.

In 2024, Steven received the Excellence in Pro Bono Service Award from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

Photo of Melissa A. Overbeck Melissa A. Overbeck

Melissa Overbeck is an associate in the Labor Department and a member of the Employment Litigation & Arbitration Group.

Melissa focuses her practice on employment litigation and counseling, representing companies across a wide variety of industries in all types of employment-related matters in…

Melissa Overbeck is an associate in the Labor Department and a member of the Employment Litigation & Arbitration Group.

Melissa focuses her practice on employment litigation and counseling, representing companies across a wide variety of industries in all types of employment-related matters in state and federal courts, before state and federal administrative agencies, and in arbitrations. Melissa regularly defends employers in single-plaintiff, class, and collective actions involving claims of discrimination, retaliation, harassment, breach of contract, employment-related torts, and violations of wage-and-hour laws. In addition, Melissa counsels clients in a wide range of employment matters, including workplace investigations, hiring and firing practices, and wage-and-hour audits. She also conducts sexual harassment and discrimination training, and has assisted clients in updating workplace policies and employee handbooks.

While attending Duke University School of Law, Melissa served as executive online editor of the Duke Law Journal. She also served as a law clerk in the litigation bureau of the New York State Office of the Attorney General, where she represented the state in a variety of litigations brought by or involving state employees.