attorney for government fraud whistleblowers

April 14, 2017

Understanding the Qui Tam Legal Process

Qui tam claims are lawsuits filed by private citizens on behalf of the federal government based on allegations that someone violated the False Claims Act (FCA) or another federal statute. Most of the time these types of claims are brought by employees, or ex-employees, who were able to gather evidence of false claims made by their employer to the government. Qui tam cases are complicated, and it is crucial that you, as a whistleblower, work with an experienced California qui tam lawyer and understands the legal process you are about to undergo.

If you believe you have evidence of fraud against the government, call the Brod Law Firm to learn about what to do next.

An Overview of the Qui Tam Process

March 17, 2017

Federal Whistleblower Laws May Preempt Attorney-Client Privilege

by Gregory J. Brod

file9391313432751-225x300 There was an unexpected outcome in the unique case of Wadler v. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., et al., when a federal judge in the Northern District of California ruled the Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank Acts’ whistleblower protections preempted attorney-client privilege. This ruling allowed Sanford Wadler, the former general counsel of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., to bring file a whistleblower action against his previous employer, take the case through trial, and receive compensatory and punitive damages.

Wadler v. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., et al.

In 2015, Wadler brought a lawsuit against Bio-Rad for firing him in retaliation for investigating potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in China and taking his concerns to the company’s audit committee. These concerns arose after the company’s officers learned in 2009 that there were FCPA violations in Vietnam, Thailand, and Russia. The company determined that it needed to investigate whether similar violations occurred in China. An outside law firm determined there was no evidence of FCPA violations in China. However, Wadler believed this was not actually the case and continued to look into these issues, even going to the company’s audit committee about them.

March 10, 2017

Whistleblowers Can Gather Confidential Company Documents

by Gregory J. Brod

bob-brents-182206-300x240 The U.S. District Court of the Southern District of California granted whistleblowers a significant victory this year. In the case of Erhart v. BofI Holdings, Inc., the district court found an employee’s confidentiality agreement with his or her employer did not trump federal whistleblower’s rights. In some circumstances, employees can gather confidential documentation as evidence of fraud, despite signing a confidentiality agreement. Additionally, any retaliatory actions by the company against the whistleblower in relation to these confidential documents is unlikely to succeed.

Erhart v. BofI Holdings, Inc.

Charles Matthew Erhart was an internal auditor for BofI Federal Bank. After being let go, he brought suit against BofI under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other whistleblower laws based on the company committing fraud against the government and retaliating for his bringing evidence forward. He stated he was fired because he disclosed the bank’s federal and state law violations to federal regulators.

January 27, 2017

SCOTUS Rules Seal Violation Does Not Cause Automatic Dismissal of Qui Tam Case

by Gregory J. Brod

In December 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court determined in State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. United States ex rel. Rigsby that a violation of the False Claims Act (FCA) seal requirement does not require an automatic dismissal of the case. This is good news for whistleblowers and the U.S. government who use suits under the FCA to recover money fraudulently stolen or kept from the government.

The Seal Requirement

Under the FCA, private citizens can file what is known as a qui tam action under the FCA on behalf of the U.S. government. These individuals are commonly known as whistleblowers but are called “relators” under the law. Once the relator has begun the action, the government has time to investigate the issues and decide whether or not to intervene. If the federal government intervenes, it is a party to the suit. If it chooses not to intervene, the relator can move forward with the suit, but the government is only a party of interest.

May 9, 2016

The False Claims Act: What it Does and How Private Whistleblowers Can Use It

by Gregory J. Brod

We talk a lot about the False Claims Act (“FCA” or “the Act”)) on this blog. We do that because it is a powerful tool that allows ordinary Americans to take a stand and fight fraud. The frauds it fights are frauds perpetrated against the government and government programs, frauds that are ultimately crimes against the American people. Our posts often look at specific cases involving alleged violations of the FCA, but from time to time our whistleblowers’ law firm likes to take a step back and look at the FCA more generally to help our readers understand exactly what kind of wrongs the FCA tackles.

“A False or Fraudulent Claim”

The FCA is actually several sections of the United States Code, with 31 U.S.C. §3729 containing the basic description of what actions violate the Act. Although it is only one of a number of subsections that describe these actions, §3729(1)(a) explains the basic wrong the Act tackles “a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval.” Essentially, this means that a person or entity is liable under the Act if they ask the government to pay an obligation that is not actually due or ask for more money than they are actually due.

April 18, 2016

Using the False Claims Act and State Equivalents to Protect Privacy and American Jobs

by Gregory J. Brod

Readers of this blog know that the False Claims Act and its state equivalents are powerful tools for fighting fraud on the government and, in turn, on taxpayers. One of the reasons these laws are so powerful is that they cover a wide-range of frauds. Although health care fraud is likely the most well-known wrong addressed through whistleblower litigation under the Acts, they cover a myriad of different subject matters as demonstrated by a recently settled case out of New York. While the case is largely about government contracting fraud, it touches on issues two of the most important business issues of recent decades: the outsourcing of American jobs and data privacy. Our False Claims Act law firm is encouraged to continue to see the power these laws give to ordinary people to tackle extraordinary issues (and, often, win!).

Settlement Filed in Case Against Government Contractor Who Sent Data and Jobs Overseas

Last month, the New York State Attorney General’s Office issued a press release announcing a $3.1 million settlement in a case accusing Focused Technology Imaging Services, LLC (“FTIS”) and two of its leaders of unlawfully outsourcing government-funded work to India. FTIS, a business located near Albany, entered into a $3.45 million agreement flag2 to digitize and index some 22 million fingerprint cards. FTIS also agreed to create a searchable database of the print cards for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (“DCJS”) and the non-profit New York State Industries for the Disabled (“NYSID”) in the 2008-2009 timeframe. The fingerprint cards were used by a range of individuals from state employees to prisoners and arrestees and contained information including Social Security number, the reason for taking the fingerprint, the fingerprint itself, and other important personal information.