There are many kinds of fraud perpetrated upon federal, state, and city governments – false claims, over-billing, and price-fixing on contracts, to name a few.  In all cases, taxpayers are left to foot the bill.  False Claims Acts at the federal, state, and city levels have established laws allowing recoveries for “relators” or “whistleblowers” – people who can prove that the government is or has been paying claims based on false or misleading information.

The term “qui tam” is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase, “qui tam pro domino rege quam pro sic ipso in hoc parte sequitur.” Translated, it means, “he who as well for the king as for himself sues in this matter.”

Qui tam litigation allows whistleblower clients to bring actions on behalf of the government as well as themselves to expose fraudulent practices.  False Claims Acts include laws protecting whistleblowers from retaliation by their employer. Hundreds of qui tam cases are filed each year:

• Between 15% and 30% of the sum recovered for the government is in turn awarded to the whistleblower.  Successful recoveries have reached as high as several hundred million dollars.

• The government has recovered over $30 billion in False Claims Act cases over the last three decades.  Of this $30 billion, $8.8 billion has been recovered since 2009.

• It is customary for a law firm to accept qui tam cases on a “contingency fee basis.”  This means that legal services are paid for only if the client receives a favorable result.

Phillips & Paolicelli has the experience to see every qui tam claim through and bring government fraud to light. Our whistleblower attorneys are eager to give free and confidential consultations to anyone with information or evidence regarding government fraud. Please contact Phillips & Paolicelli, LLP today to set up a free consultation at (855) 220-6770.