As a Memphis, Tennessee qui tam and whistleblower attorney, I wanted to make you aware of a recent qui tam settlement as reported by Bloomberg News. This involved a Tennessee whistleblower providing information to stop the improper receipt of taxpayer dollars by corporate America.
Kidney dialysis provider Fresenius Medical Care AG has been ordered to pay $82.6 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit accusing the company of overcharging Medicare. The lawsuit claimed Fresenius and two of its subsidiaries overbilled Medicare between 1999 and 2005 for home support dialysis supplies. The allegations were pled in a federal court lawsuit in Nashville, Tennessee. There has yet to be a statement issued by the company.
Tennessee workers and workers 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 Tennessee whistleblower or qui tam lawyer about your facts.
In Tennessee and all across the country, whistleblowers help the government to get back billions of dollars each year with the help of the False Claims Act. In Tennessee, 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 Tennessee whitsleblower and qui tam attorney Ed Wallis at 1-800-632-1404 or send Mr. Wallis an email below for a free initial consultation.