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As a Memphis, Tennessee qui tam and whistleblower attorney, I read a recent story in the New York Times caught my eye.
The AP /New York Times (8/2, Subscription Publication) reported the judge overseeing a whistleblower lawsuit alleging the former firm Blackwater “overbilled the government for labor and travel expenses while protecting State Department workers in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said the case “hangs by a thread.” After plaintiff Melan Davis and her attorney presented their case Tuesday, US District Judge TS Ellis III said it “had major holes” and wasn’t certain how it would last. Attorneys for Blackwater, now called Xe Services argue that Davis and her attorney misunderstood travel spreadsheets and said “the alleged double-billing … resulted when some contractors innocently missed scheduled flights because of the unpredictability of life in a war zone – everything from sandstorms to sniper fire.” Parts of the lawsuit have already been dismissed.
As a whistleblower attorney, we are interested in speaking with persons willing to make known the truth about company practices and are willing to file a qui tam or whistleblower action. One area in particular we are interested in discussing are lawsuits involving medical device companies where the company is alleged to have overcharged, engaged in kickback programs, and the like. We will nevertheless investigate claims in a variety of areas.
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.