Texas Qui Tam Whistleblower Lawyer
If you know of a situation where the government was cheated, you may be a potential qui tam whistleblower. In qui tam litigation, a private citizen who knows of fraud committed against the government may, through privately retained lawyers, file a lawsuit to recover the losses caused by the fraud. The False Claims Act provides significant financial incentives to citizens who uncover fraud against the government.
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At the Van Wey & Johnson law firm in Dallas, Texas, our qui tam lawyers have the experience to handle complex qui tam lawsuits. If you believe you have a case, tell us about it in a free consultation. Our lawyers take all qui tam cases on a contingency fee basis. That means we will take a portion of your share if we prove your case.
In a qui tam case, the person who reports the fraud is referred to as the relator. Many courts have ruled that the relator should have an attorney since the relator's attorney will, in effect, be acting as the government's attorney.
What types of situations are covered under the False Claims Act?
- Submitting or preparing a false record or statement in order to get a false or fraudulent claim paid by the government
- Conspiring with another individual or company to have a false or fraudulent claim paid by the government
- Creating or giving to the government a false receipt for its property
- Making a false statement to avoid paying a debt to the government or to avoid delivering property to the government
- Causing someone else to submit a false or fraudulent claim
- Billing for expensive equipment but providing cheaper equipment
- Up-coding schemes (billing for a higher service than was performed) and unbundling (charging for individual services that should be "bundled" into one charge)
In 2006 alone, the U.S. government recovered more than $3 billion in settlements and judgments related to qui tam lawsuits filed by private citizens (relators). In a successful qui tam lawsuit, the relator will receive 10% to 30% of the recovered funds.
What are the conditions to consider when filing a qui tam lawsuit?
- The whistleblower should have actual knowledge of the fraud, not just a mere suspicion. Evidence, in addition to knowledge, is also necessary in most cases. The evidence needs to be specific, identifying who, what, when, and where of the fraud.
- The whistleblower's evidence cannot come from a public source such as a newspaper, TV, magazine, radio, court record, etc.
- Federal or state money must be involved.
- Generally, the case needs to be filed within six years of the act.
For more information, see our Qui Tam Information Center.
If you have evidence of fraud against the government, you deserve to have a lawyer with qui tam experience who will listen to your situation, stand up for your rights, and work closely with you to file an effective lawsuit. Contact the Van Wey & Johnson law firm for a free consultation.
