Any employee, contractor, or agent who 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 Article or other efforts to stop one or more violations of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-607 shall be entitled to all relief necessary to make the employee, contractor, or agent whole. Such relief shall include reinstatement with the same seniority status the employee, contractor, or agent would have had but for the discrimination, two times the amount of back pay, interest on the back pay, and compensation for any special damages sustained as a result of the discrimination, including litigation costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees. An action may be brought in North Carolina superior court for the relief provided in this section. A civil action under this section may not be brought more than three years after the date when the retaliation occurred. (2009-554, s. 1; 2018-41, s. 6.)