Whistleblowers are people who learn about fraud against the government and come forward to stop it. Find out how whistleblower (or Qui Tam) cases work and what law applies to them.
False Claims Act cases (sometimes called Qui Tam or Whistleblower cases) provide a mechanism to recover funds that have been stolen from the government through fraud by corporations, such as pharmaceutical companies, defense contractors, and hospitals, and individual wrongdoers, like doctors or dentists. These cases have enjoyed broad bipartisan support and recognition as an important tool to protect our public funds, because they are not “anti-business” in any way—only “anti-fraud.”
The government may discover the “false claims” or fraudulent conduct and pursue these cases directly, or individual whistleblowers may identify the false claims and bring them to the attention of the government, pursue the case on behalf of the government and receive a portion of the recovery as an incentive for serving the public good.
Video - Understanding Whistleblower / Qui Tam Cases
How Our Qui Tam Experience Can Help
The extensive experience of Baron & Budd Qui Tam attorneys Pat O’Connell and Jan Soifer in working closely with government lawyers, together with the firm’s resources, additional attorneys and staff, give the firm’s whistleblower clients the substantial resources needed to prevail in complex false claims cases.
It is an undisputed fact that Qui Tam litigation is more successful when the government's lawyers are persuaded to intervene. But attorneys working at the state and federal levels are strapped for time and resources; they must invest wisely by choosing to join only the cases that present the greatest chances for success. Pat and Jan have both worked years for the government and they understand what’s important to building a good solid case. Of course, they know how to present a Qui Tam suit to the jury, but they also know how to make the case right at the beginning where it perhaps counts the most—to the state and federal attorneys who will determine whether to get involved in the first place.
Because of their years of experience in False Claims Act litigation, working with the government and in private practice, Baron & Budd’s Qui Tam lawyers are well known to lawyers working at the Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney's Office and with the offices of many state Attorneys General. Such experience and recognition fosters an atmosphere of trust and cooperation that is critical for the success of the litigation during both the government's investigation phase and during the prosecution of the lawsuit in court.
Finally, Baron & Budd offers its Qui Tam lawyers the backing of a substantial law firm with more than 30 years’ experience representing plaintiffs in litigation on a massive scale against some of the richest and most powerful corporations in America. Baron & Budd has over 50 lawyers with offices in multiple states. Qui Tam litigation is not for the faint of heart; it can be long, costly for the firm handling the case and hard fought. Baron & Budd has the reputation and resources, both legal and financial, to go the distance to protect its clients—to protect what’s right.
rssQui Tam / False Claims Act Related News
April 7, 2010
Baron & Budd, P.C. Announces Class Action Lawsuit over Price Fixing Involving Marine Products
LOS ANGELES, Calif.(April 7, 2010) Baron & Budd, P.C. attorneys, working with attorneys from Los Angeles-based Glancy Bingow & Goldberg LLC, New York securities law firm Labaton Sucharow LLP, Mobile-based Vickers, Riis, Murray and Curran, L.L.C. and Galveston attorney A. Craig Eiland, have filed suit in federal district court in Los Angeles over a web of conspiracies to fix prices and rig bids on several marine products. The Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves, the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans and OSG Lightering LLC., who all purchased marine products that were the subject of the conspiracies, have sued on behalf all those affected by the schemes. Read More
April 7, 2010
Alaska child psychiatrists named in Medicaid fraud suit
The Law Project for Psychiatric Rights, an Alaska mental health advocacy group, has sued several Alaska child psychiatrists under the federal False Claims Act. The whistleblower organization, which has fought the pharmaceutical industry for years, claims that doctors committed Medicaid fraud by unnecessarily drugging children with medications not approved for the prescribed purposes. The suit is also directed at pharmacies, health service agencies and state officials. Read More
April 6, 2010
Former employees sue Blackwater for defrauding U.S.
Blackwater Worldwide, the already notorious private security company hired by the government in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been sued by two of its former employees in a False Claims Act lawsuit originally filed in December 2008. The ex-workers allege that for years the company has filed fraudulent receipts, double billed for services and charged the government for prostitutes and strippers. The deception, according to the lawsuit, involved the company's work in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina. In addition, the whistleblowers accuse Blackwater of ignoring the use of “excessive and unjustified” force by Blackwater guards against Iraqi civilians. Read More
