(a) An employee may not directly or indirectly use or attempt to use the official authority or influence of the employee for the purpose of intimidating, threatening, coercing, commanding, or attempting to intimidate, threaten, coerce, or command any person for the purpose of interfering with the right of that person to disclose to a legislative committee improper governmental activities.

(b) Any employee who violates subdivision (a) may be liable in an action for civil damages brought against the employee by the offended party.

Terms Used In California Government Code 9149.23

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Person: includes any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, limited liability company, business trust, corporation, or company. See California Government Code 17
  • Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which the term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Government Code 10

(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize an individual to disclose information otherwise prohibited by or under law.

(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to abrogate or limit any other theory of liability or any other remedy that is otherwise available at law.

(Added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 156, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2000.)