Qui tam lawsuits are brought by individuals, known as whistleblowers, against a company that defrauded the United States government. Whistleblowers do receive compensation for alerting the government of the fraud, but this is not the motivation behind most qui tam lawsuits. Whistleblowers feel a moral obligation to report the company…
There are many programs and legal statutes that allow whistleblowers to receive compensation for reporting wrongdoing, typically in their place of work. The False Claims Act is just one of these. However, whistleblowers do not typically blow the whistle to receive this compensation. In fact, many are not even aware…
The Whistleblower Protection Act and the California False Claims Act both protect whistleblowers from retaliating employers after they report wrongdoing. Unfortunately, not all employers abide by this law. When they learn an employee has blown the whistle on them, they sometimes terminate that employee. The employee loses his or her…
Whether whistleblowers take action under the federal False Claims Act or California False Claims Act, they play a vital role in society. They uncover wrongdoings and hold individuals and companies accountable when they defraud the government. Still, over the years many myths surrounding whistleblowers have developed. Some of these are…
Many times, an employee has identified fraud against the government occurring within their place of employment. They want to report this fraud, or blow the whistle, but are afraid to because they participated in the fraud. This is often an extremely difficult situation. Potential whistleblowers know the fraud is wrong,…
Sometimes employees notice fraud against the government within their workplace. When they do, they want to do the right thing and put a stop to it, but they’re also afraid to take action. Sometimes this fear stems from the threat of retaliation, and losing their job and income. Other times,…
When filing any type of lawsuit, you will need solid evidence to back up your claim. In a qui tam, or whistleblower, lawsuit, that evidence must be solid and clearly establish that your employer, or another individual or entity, defrauded the government. Investigations into a qui tam lawsuit are extensive…
If you are considering blowing the whistle on your employer’s wrongful actions that are defrauding the government, employment retaliation is a real fear. In fact, it is one of the biggest reasons employees do not come forward and blow the whistle. However, this should never keep you from trying to…
Many people have heard of whistleblowers on the nightly news, or perhaps in movies or on television dramas. However, they may not know exactly what a whistleblower is. Maybe they have never even heard of the term ‘qui tam’ before. So, what exactly is a whistleblower, and why would such…
The United States government uses a number of contractors in many different areas. For example, manufacturers make training gear for the U.S. military, and the prison system has many contracts for staffing the prisons and helping maintain its facilities. Many medical clinics and hospitals receive funding from Medicaid and Medicare…