Whistleblower Lawsuits & The False Claims Act

Every year, hundreds of billions of dollars are lost to fraud. Federal and state governments are frequent victims, with taxpayer money stolen, important programs abused, and the public significantly harmed.

Fortunately, everyday Americans – like you – are coming forward with increasing frequency to report wrongdoing and put a stop to these fraudulent schemes. While these fraudulent schemes can take many forms, they all have at least one thing in common: they waste taxpayer dollars.

Whistleblowers are the unsung heroes of the marketplace, reporting illegal conduct and doing the right thing in the face of corporate fraud and corruption.

If you have information about fraud, we can help you make a compelling whistleblower case, protect you from retaliation and claim a share of the recovery.

Federal and state whistleblower laws are designed to reward those with the courage and conviction to report and stop fraud. These laws are empowering and incentivizing to those who have information about illegal practices by allowing whistleblowers to share a percentage of the government’s recovery.

Whistleblowers who file suit under the False Claims Act (FCA) are eligible to receive between 15% and 25% of funds recovered from a defendant’s settlement or judgment if the government chooses to intervene in the suit, and between 25% and 30% of the recovery if the government chooses not to intervene. Whistleblower laws have been very successful with billions of dollars recovered each year by authorities.

The whistleblower’s share award is a massive financial incentive because FCA recoveries often stand in the tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. Even a relatively modest “slice” of a large recovery is enough to motivate whistleblowers to come forward. Each year hundreds of millions of dollars are awarded to whistleblowers under the FCA. Since 1986, more than $75 billion has been recovered by federal and state governments across the United States as a result of false claims lawsuits. More than $50 billion of those recoveries have resulted from lawsuits filed by whistleblowers under the qui tam provisions of the FCA.

Whistleblowers have been paid over $8.6 billion for their role in assisting the government in making those recoveries for taxpayers. Historical data from these programs is telling. The FCA continues to payout vast sums to whistleblowers each year, with FCA whistleblowers having been awarded, on average, $431.7 million annually since 2010.

If you are an insider in a company or organization and are aware of some misconduct or illegal activity, we can potentially help you bring the misconduct to light. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been awarded to those who expose fraud, corruption, and safety violations. Each state has unique laws that apply to these types of cases, and many have laws that protect whistleblowers from retaliation.

Some of these protective laws include:

• Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act
• Clean Air Act
• Energy Reorganization Act of 1974
• Federal Water Pollution Control Act
• Solid Waste Disposal Act
• Toxic Substances Control Act

California and Illinois even have specific laws that reward a whistleblower for exposing insurance fraud. Other forms of fraud exposed by courageous whistleblowers include:

• Pharmaceutical fraud
• SEC Fraud
• Medicare fraud
• Medicaid fraud
• PPP Loan fraud
• RS fraud

There are many more cases that have been successfully brought to light. If you suspect that something is amiss where you work, reach out today to have an attorney review the specific facts of your case and ensure that you are legally protected.