Qui Tam Whistleblower

The federal and state government rely heavily on private companies to administer its programs. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for such companies to cheat the government, costing the government and taxpayers millions of dollars each year. While the government sometimes is able to uncover such fraud on its own, it also relies on private citizens to report fraud. Qui tam whistleblower claims are civil suits that help the government stop fraud. In a qui tam claim, an employee reports his or her employer for cheating the government. In exchange, the employee is compensated with a percentage of the money or assets recovered from the dishonest employer. If you believe you have a qui tam claim, it is critical that you act quickly an contact an experienced Los Angeles Qui Tam Whistleblower Lawyer who will makes sure your claim is filed properly so that you receive the maximum compensation to which you are entitled.

Qui tam claims are brought under the federal False Claims Act or the California False Claims Act. Each of the False Claims Acts rewards whistleblowers whose qui tam lawsuits recover government funds. Because those who bring qui tam claims are likely to be the target of retaliatory termination, the False Claims Act provides job protection to whistleblowers.

Because of the sensitive nature of a qui tam lawsuit and the dangers they present to the person who brings the claim, a qui tam lawsuit is filed "under seal." This means that while the Justice Department is investigating the claims, the content of the lawsuit is kept secret from everyone, including the company or person being accused of fraud. The investigation can take a few months or a few years. Companies or individuals found liable under the False Claims Act may have to pay as much as three times the government's losses plus penalties for each false claim.

• Defense contractor fraud, including product substitution, cross charging, and failure to comply with contract specifications.
• Financial industry fraud, including fraudulent municipal transactions and FHA mortgages
• Construction project fraud
• Health care fraud, including kickbacks, false certifications, upcoding and unbundling, fraudulent cost reports, lack of medical necessity, and Medicaid and Medicare fraud.

The amount of the whistleblower reward depends on the specific facts of the case, and whether or not the government chose to intervene in the case. Under federal law, if the government intervenes in the case and recovers funds, the whistleblower is entitled to 15-25% of the recovery. If the government doesn't intervene in the case and it is pursued by the whistleblower team, the whistleblower reward is between 25-30% of the amount of money the government was able to recover.

Under the California False Claims act, the reward is 15-33% of any recovery if the state intervenes and 25-50% if the state does not intervene.

In 2015, Quest Diagnostics Inc. paid the United States $1.79 million to settle claims that it violated the False Claims Act. This settlement resolves allegations that Quest Diagnostics submitted duplicative claims to Medicare for certain services and diagnostic. The whistleblower in this case will receive $358,000 of the recovery proceeds.

In 2000, W.R. Grace & Co. agreed to pay $15.5 million to settle allegations that it defrauded libraries, schools and government offices across the country by deliberately overcharging them for millions of books. After investigating the allegations, the Justice Department and the state of California joined the lawsuit. Seventeen other states subsequently were granted permission to intervene. The settlement involved payments to the federal government, the state of California and 17 other states.

If you believe that you have inside information regarding a potential qui tam claim, it is important you discuss the specifics of your case with an experienced employment lawyer to ensure that your claim is handled properly. You may be entitled to a significant reward if your claim is successful. The staff at VAKILI & LEUS, LLP has years of experience successfully representing clients in a variety of employment related cases including whistleblower claims, wage-and-hour claims, employment discrimination and other employment law violations. Keep in mind that there are time limits to filing claims. Contact us at 1-855-52LA-LAW (1-855-525-2529) to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your concerns related to your employment.