In this case, the court must decide whether an employee in the financial services industry engaged in activity protected under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act when he made reports to supervisors about a coworker’s actions. The jury at trial found that he did, and was terminated for the reports. 

1. What was the legal issue in this case? What did the court decide?

2. Why does the court conclude that the plaintiff engaged in protected activity under the SOX Act? Why does the court conclude that there was sufficient evidence that the plaintiff had an “objectively reasonable belief” that a coworker engaged in fraud?  

3. Besides engaging in protected activity, what are the other elements of a whistleblower protection (retaliation) claim under the SOX Act? What is the evidence that these other elements are satisfied in this case? 

4. Why do you think the supervisors at this bank acted as they did? What should they have done differently?