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…
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,…
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…
When qui tam cases under the False Claims Act (FCA) are first filed, they are to remain under seal for 60 days. During this time, the case is secret. The defendant is not even served yet, so it likely does not know there is a suit filed against it unless…
The False Claims Act (“FCA” or “the Act”) is a powerful tool that allows private citizens to play a key role in fighting fraud on the federal government. As we have reported in previous blog posts, this term the Supreme Court agreed to look at a disagreement among appellate courts…
As a small law firm, we are particularly aware of the many contributions that small businesses and small business owners make to our economy. In our case, we believe being a small firm allows us to have a more personal touch and collaborate more closely with every client while providing…
You’ve witnessed something amiss in your workplace. Whether it is a medical practice routinely upcoding Medicare claims to charge for more expensive procedures than were actually performed, a government contractor cheating the government by providing goods that are inferior to those promised, or another form of overcharging the government, you…
Last week, we looked at the recoveries made on behalf of the federal government using the False Claims Act (“FCA”) in 2015. While informative, those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Many states have their own versions of the FCA. These statutes are particularly important in the Medicaid fraud arena…
On a regular basis, we use this blog to discuss health care fraud, government contracts fraud, and a range of related issues that fall under the False Claims Act and similar pieces of legislation. In a two-part post, our government fraud whistleblower’s law firm is taking a step back to…