Ernst & Young Retaliated Over Whistleblowing, Suit Claims (1)

A former Ernst & Young partner says the accounting giant retaliated against him after he told company leaders about alleged securities law violations by clients, including some connected to organized crime.

Because he’d engaged in “protected whistleblower activities,” EY’s actions against Joe Howie—including firing him, stripping him of his job roles, and forcing him to take early retirement benefits—violated the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, his complaint filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York says.

Howie had informed EY management that the firm had abetted federal and international securities law violations by its clients, “who ...