Can a Government Employee be a Whistleblower?
We have been approached on several occasions by employees of the federal government and asked if they can obtain compensation as whistleblowers under the False Claims Act. Several courts have ruled that they can, but it can depend upon the underlying circumstances. The key provision of the False Claims Act addressing this issue states:
A person may bring a civil action for a violation...
Can You File a Whistleblower Lawsuit without an Attorney?
The short answer is no – a party may not file a Whistleblower (Qui Tam) action without an attorney. Generally, a person is permitted by right to represent himself or herself in a court proceeding either as a plaintiff or a defendant. However, this is not the case in the context of a whistleblower suit. Indeed, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently...
Whistleblower Sues Duke
A whistleblower suit under the federal False Claims Act that, if won, may force Duke to return up to three-times the amount of ill-gotten funds to the government.
False Claims Act lawsuits have not typically been used to target academic institutions, but this trend is shifting as charges of scientific misconduct continue to rise. Duke is now among a handful of Universities that have faced...
VANGUARD GROUP HIT WITH MASSIVE BILLION DOLLAR FALSE CLAIMS ACT SUIT
On July 25th, the details of a massive whistleblower lawsuit against mutual fund corporation Vanguard Group were revealed when the suit was unsealed in the New York Supreme Court. The lawsuit (New York ex rel. David Danon v. Vanguard Group Inc. et al.) alleges that Vanguard operated a tax shelter for nearly 40 years and in doing so, avoided paying hundreds of millions of dollars in state and...
COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEMS SETTLES FALSE CLAIMS ACT SUIT FOR NEARLY $100 MILLION
On August 4th, one of the nation’s largest health system operators, Community Health Systems (CHS), agreed to pay more than $98 million to settle a series of False Claims Act lawsuits. The lawsuits allege that CHS knowingly billed the government for pricey inpatient hospital stays that should have instead been listed as outpatient services. The settlement resolved seven separate...
VIRGINIA MEDICAL RESEARCH COMPANY AGREES TO $343,000 SETTLEMENT
Last week, Virginia-based medical research company American International Biotechnology (AIB) agreed to pay $343,000 to settle a lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. The suit (U.S. ex rel. Greentree Medical Center, PC v. American International Biotechnology, LLC et al., Civil Action No. 13-597 (W.D. Pa.) )alleges that AIB employees obtained improper referrals for...