One employee's filing came within two days of leaving; another former employee filed at least 20 statements.
A former Golden State Warriors employee filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the star guard Monta Ellis, saying Ellis sent her unwanted text messages that included a photo of his genitals.
Mr. Schneiderman's investigation began in April after a former Thomson Reuters employee filed a whistle-blower complaint about the practice, according to a person briefed on the inquiry.
Ms. Smith said the department was moving away from its former strategy of investigating companies only after an employee files a complaint.
An Acorn employee filed a report on Monday with the police in National City, a San Diego suburb that has a law forbidding scavenging of trash, Ms. Schur said.
"They've been in our offices going through the employee files, checking documents, which we think is great," said Clifford Gibson, the company's general manager in Naperville, Ill.
Joyce Valente, a Balco employee, filed a police report about the "stolen" trash in August 2002, and the local weekly paper published an item about it.
A Nassau County employee filed a sex discrimination suit in United States District Court here on Tuesday accusing her former boss, Peter Sylver, of harassment and assault.
A state employee filed a lawsuit last month claiming that she was removed from her post on the belief that she had leaked the messages.
