Patriotic acts can take on many forms, from serving your country in the armed forces to standing up for the rights of your fellow citizens by being a catalyst for change in a variety of causes. One area where acts of patriotism are becoming more and more frequent is in the area of “Whistleblowing.” Employees of companies under contract with the Government or which submit financial claims to the Government for payment are reporting acts of fraud more than ever before in our nation’s history. These fraudulent acts involve issues of deception and wasting the hard earned money of your fellow tax paying citizens.

Whistleblowers are fighting fraud and winning! Every year, hundreds of “Qui Tam” cases are filed by the whistleblower (relator) on behalf of the United States Government. Billions of dollars are recovered with the help of citizens who patriotically come forward with information that leads to the Government recouping significant sums of money from the individuals, companies, cities or counties who defrauded the Government in such fraud. Successful recoveries have been as high as several hundred million dollars, with the whistleblower/relator sharing a minimum of 15 percent and a maximum of 30 percent of the money recovered for the Government.

The questions are obvious. As a potential whistleblower (relator): What are your rights? What is the best course of action? What will it take to prosecute the guilty? How can you be guaranteed protection?

“Whistleblowers” are people like you who know and can prove that the Federal Government is and has been defrauded and has paid claims or invoices to the wrongdoers based upon false or misleading information.

YOU ARE PROTECTED UNDER THE LAW
You have the right to bring such claims and are protected against retaliation when you do. The law provides: “Any employee who is discharged, demoted, suspended, threatened, harassed, or in any other manner discriminated against in the terms and conditions of employment by his or her employer because of unlawful acts done by the employee on behalf of the employee or others in furtherance of an action under this section, including investigation for, initiation of, testimony for, or assistance in an action filed or to be filed under this section, shall be entitled to all relief necessary to make the employee whole.” (31 U.S.C. 3730(h)).

Yes, you are protected. But legal protection is only the beginning. The path to victory can be a long process. Careful planning and thought is required. Once you’ve decided to look into the matter further with an attorney and the initial information is obtained and evaluated, a decision must be made whether to proceed to the next step and either file a claim or decide not to pursue the matter. If your decision is to proceed, then it is important to devise a plan to substantiate your allegations that a false claim violation has occurred and decide what you need to do before you file.

CONTINGENCY FEE
Because most relators cannot afford to pay hourly fees as they are incurred, LPK, LLP will accept your case based on a contingency fee; that is, the firm earns a fee only if there is a recovery, with LPK’s fee being a percentage of what you are awarded.