1. (a) Any employee, contractor, or agent shall be entitled to all relief necessary to make that employee, contractor, or agent whole, if that employee, contractor, or agent is discharged, demoted, suspended, threatened, harassed, or in any other manner discriminated against in the terms and conditions of employment because of lawful acts done by the employee, contractor, agent, or associated others in furtherance of an action under this subchapter or other efforts to stop one or more violations of this subchapter.

2. (b) The relief authorized under subsection (a) of this section shall include:

   1. (1) Reinstatement with the same seniority status that the employee, contractor, or agent would have had but for the discrimination;
   2. (2) Two times the amount of back pay;
   3. (3) Interest on the back pay; and
   4. (4) Compensation for any special damages sustained as a result of the discrimination, including litigation costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees.
3. (c) An action seeking relief under this section may be brought in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia; provided, that a civil action seeking relief under this section may not be brought more than 3 years after the date when the retaliation occurred.

History

Feb. 21, 1986, D.C. Law 6-85, § 816, 32 DCR 7396

as added May 8, 1998, D.C. Law 12-104, § 2(g), 45 DCR 1687

Apr. 20, 1999, D.C. Law 12-264, § 10(c), 46DCR 2118

Sept. 26, 2012, D.C. Law 19-171, § 98(a), 59 DCR 6190

Mar. 19, 2013, D.C. Law 19-232, § 2(d), 59 DCR 13632

Effect of Amendments

The 2013 amendment by D.C. Law 19-232 rewrote the section.

The 2012 amendment by D.C. Law 19-171 amended D.C. Law 19-21, § 9004(b) to repeal D.C. Law 6-85, § 820 instead of D.C. Law 6-85, § 816.

Prior Codifications

1981 Ed., § 1-1188.16.

2001 Ed., § 2-308.16.

Section References

This section is referenced in § 2-308.16.