As a Memphis, Tennessee qui tam and whistleblower attorney, I wanted to make you aware of a recent editorial by the New York Times concerning qui tam and whistleblower suits.
The New York Times on June 13, 2011 editorializes about the Supreme Court case of Schindler Elevator Corp. v. United States ex rel. Kirk, which “made it harder for whistle-blowers to hold government contractors accountable for fraud.” The court ruled that the case was prohibited under the Federal False Claims Act because it was based partially on information gathered through a Freedom of Information Act request. The Times argues that the logic behind the opinion would prohibit whistleblower suits that depend on information obtained through Freedom of Information requests. The Times argues that the ruling, and Justice Clarence Thomas’ majority opinion, are “wrong about the text, context and history of the law.”
Workers and persons all across the country witness actions at their work that may be unlawful or even corrupt. Unfortunately, some employees and workers feel that they will be fired, terminated, harrassed or punished if they report an unlawful or corrupt action. These reporters, however, are protected by the law as a Whistleblower and can receive compensation because of the False Claims Act or the Medicaid False Claims Act. If you have reported actions that may be fraudulent, then you should talk to a Whistleblower or qui tam lawyer about your facts.
Whistleblowers help the government to get back billions of dollars each year with the help of the False Claims Act. In fact, fraudulent Medicaid claims are also caught by whistleblowers having the Medicaid False Claims Act on their side. If you report a false claim or fraudulent action to the government, then the government will give you, the whistleblower, a part of the money that gets recovered. This is because of qui tam requirements. Qui Tam means that a person files a lawsuit for the king and also for him or herself. These requirements and lawsuits were made popular during the Civil War when many people were getting away with fraudulent actions against the government. In 1986, the False Claims Act was amended to raise the total compensation given to people who reported fraudulent actions, or whistleblowers. If a whistleblower works with a lawyer then it may be possible for them to get three times the amount the government would get in damages and also get additional compensation for general fines.
For more information, please contact whitsleblower and qui tam attorney Ed Wallis at 1-800-632-1404 or send Mr. Wallis an email below for a free initial consultation.