Qui Tam Whistleblower Lawyer

What is a Qui Tam Whistleblower?

“Qui tam” refers to private citizens who reveal acts of fraud against the government and sue on the government’s behalf, and it is the basic premise of the False Claims Act (FCA). If an entity makes a false claim that results in a loss to the government (U.S. and certain state governments) either directly or indirectly, a private citizen—often referred to as a “relator”—can sue that entity on the government’s behalf in an effort to recover compensatory damages, civil penalties and triple damages. Additionally, the FCA allows the relator to share in as much as 30 percent of the total recovered and protects the relator from employer retaliation. In fact, if the relator is retaliated against, he or she may also be awarded “all relief necessary to make the employee whole,” including back pay, multiples of back pay, litigation costs and reinstatement.

As of 2014, healthcare fraud comprised the bulk of qui tam cases. Other examples of qui tam cases include:

• Falsely inflating the cost of goods, services or contract pricing data in government contracts
• Providing inferior products to government entities and falsely certifying them as meeting specifications
• Billing the government for services or equipment that were never ordered, or billing for new equipment when old equipment was used
• Marketing pharmaceuticals for purposes other than those approved by the FDA

About the Authors

Mathew P. Jasinski

Member

Mathew Jasinski represents consumers, businesses, and governmental entities in class action and complex cases involving consumer protection, unfair trade practices, commercial, environmental and securities litigation. He also represents whistleblowers in Qui tam cases under the False Claims Act.

Michael J. Pendell

Member

Michael Pendell is a trial lawyer who represents people affected by corporate wrongdoing, including whistleblowers, people harmed by tobacco, prescription medications, dangerous medical devices, and victims of international terrorism. He also represents pension fund trustees and other institutional investors in securities, consumer fraud, and other complex class actions.