Recent class actions have claimed that companies have violated California consumer fraud and unfair competition laws resulting from alleged forced labor in their global supply chains.
Non-Canadian workers are increasingly suing their employers in Canadian courts for human rights violations allegedly committed outside Canada by the companies themselves or by other entities in their supply chains.
The Second Circuit created a federal appellate split when it revived a Dodd-Frank Act retaliation claim by an ex-employee who only reported his claims of accounting fraud internally before he was terminated.
The United Nations' adoption in 2011 of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights signified a growing consensus that corporate entities have a responsibility to account for their operations' impact on human rights.
New SEC guidance says whistleblowers are entitled to Dodd-Frank anti-retaliation protections after making an internal complaint about possible securities law violations, even if they do not report directly to the SEC.
