Los Angeles, Calif., March 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This March, the Silenced No More Foundation and Founder Stephanie Van de Motter, are celebrating National Women’s History Month by raising awareness around female whistleblowers who became catalysts for positive change, serving as guides for others. The Foundation is also praising State Senator Karen Keiser (D-WA) for introducing a new bill to expand whistleblower protections across the state of Washington.
Bill SB 5520 is inspired by the Silenced No More Act, which took effect in January, 2022, and makes it easier for workers to speak out about harassment and abuse in the workplace. The proposed bill in Washington will build on the existing #MeToo-era legislation that Senator Keiser also helped to sponsor and expand the protection to encompass all types of harassment and discrimination. The goal of the new bill is to demand a shift in workplace culture and to create a path for victims to move forward without fear of losing their jobs or their livelihoods.
“Throughout our nation’s history, women have been relentless at advancing civil rights,” said Van de Motter. “It took us nearly 100-years to secure our right to vote, but we did it. With women like Karen Keiser at the helm, I have no doubt that together, we can continue to advance positive change and create safer workplaces for women and a safer society for all.”
Van de Motter knows first-hand the repercussions of speaking up in the workplace. In 2020, she became the first person to have won a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit against The Irvine Company, one of the most powerful real estate companies in the country owned by America's richest real estate baron Donald Bren.
Before blowing the whistle, Van de Motter worked as property manager at The Irvine Company’s flagship luxury building in Santa Monica, where celebrities like Britney Spears, Larry David, and others lived. Her dream job came to an abrupt halt, she was retaliated against, and “constructively discharged,” after reporting fire and building safety code violations that endangered residents’ lives as the company was attempting to remediate systemic water intrusion and mold issues. Despite winning the lawsuit, Van de Motter still has not received the compensation she was awarded by an arbitrator and The Irvine Company has blocked her efforts to collect.
The Silenced No More Foundation recognizes that it takes incredible courage to speak truth to power and whistleblowers play a crucial role in stopping unethical behavior. This is why, this March, the Foundation is honoring steely women for their enormous accomplishments as a way to mark National Women’s History month.
To honor the valiance of some of the trailblazing women who have embarked on the painstaking process of passing a bill into law, the Foundation highlighted five historic whistleblowers on its blog. In the coming weeks and months, the Foundation will focus on providing helpful information and resources to whistleblowers, offering guidance and emotional support through curated stories of personal experiences.
To learn more about the Silenced No More Foundation or Stephanie Van de Motter’s story, visit www.silencednomore.org.
About the Silenced No More Foundation
The Silenced No More Foundation is the first of its kind peer-to-peer online support network for employee whistleblowers and victims of workplace harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. Inspired by California's Silenced No More Act, the Foundation provides employee whistleblowers with helpful resources, guidance, and emotional support needed to navigate their difficult journeys. By helping employees understand the whistleblowing process, the Silenced No More Foundation empowers them to defend their rights and hold companies and individuals accountable for all illegal activity at work.
About Stephanie Van de Motter
Stephanie Van de Motter is the first person to have ever won a whistleblower retaliation and harassment lawsuit against The Irvine Company, the largest landowner in California owned by America's richest real estate baron Donald Bren. For years she managed their star-studded flagship property at 1221 Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. When she reported numerous building and fire safety code violations that endangered residents’ lives, the company retaliated against her. Van de Motter lost her job, her career, and her peace of mind. Van de Motter is still attempting to collect the compensation awarded to her by court in 2020, but Irvine Company has blocked all her efforts. Van de Motter currently resides in Santa Monica, California.
