# Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act (CAARA) — Federal Whistleblower Protection Filing Deadlines by Statute

For Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act (CAARA), usc citation is 15 U.S.C. § 7a-3; filing deadline days is 180; covered industry is Antitrust enforcement; enforcement mechanism is Complaint filed with Secretary of Labor; governed under the rules and procedures set forth in section 42121(b) of title 49; Secretary of Labor may issue orders; private right of action is Yes, if the Secretary of Labor has not issued a final decision within 180 days of the filing of the complaint and there is no showing that such delay is due to the bad faith of the claimant, bringing an action at law or equity for de novo review in the appropriate district court, recorded from its source on 2026-08-15.

- **statute short name:** Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act (CAARA)
- **usc citation:** 15 U.S.C. § 7a-3
- **filing deadline days:** 180 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **covered industry:** Antitrust enforcement _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **enforcement mechanism:** Complaint filed with Secretary of Labor; governed under the rules and procedures set forth in section 42121(b) of title 49; Secretary of Labor may issue orders
- **private right of action:** Yes, if the Secretary of Labor has not issued a final decision within 180 days of the filing of the complaint and there is no showing that such delay is due to the bad faith of the claimant, bringing an action at law or equity for de novo review in the appropriate district court

## What the source says

> A complaint under paragraph (1)(A) shall be filed with the Secretary of Labor not later than 180 days after the date on which the violation occurs.

## Source

- https://www.whistleblowers.gov/statutes/caara

Last verified: 2026-08-15. Review by: 2027-08-15.
Part of [Federal Whistleblower Protection Filing Deadlines by Statute](https://referencesource.org/whistleblower-filing-deadlines/).