When you decide to file a qui tam lawsuit to stop government fraud, you could be putting your job and your career on the line. That is why you need aggressive representation from a Cincinnati whistleblower lawyer to defend your rights before, during and after your qui tam lawsuit. A skilled attorney also gives you a better chance of receiving a percentage of the funds recovered by the government.
The legal team at O'Connor, Acciani & Levy will guide you through your qui tam lawsuit and take appropriate action if your employer decides to break the law and retaliate against you. All of our clients are entitled to a free, no obligation consultation to discuss their qui tam claim. Our attorneys will advise you of your options and explain how we can assist you throughout the legal process.
Examples Of False Claims Act Cases
Qui tam lawsuits often involve violations of the False Claims Act in the healthcare, mortgage and defense contractor industries. Violations also occur in a variety of other industries, such as student loans, U.S. Customs and the U.S. Postal Service.
Companies and individuals often defraud the government by using false statements or records to obtain payment for a government claim, engaging in a conspiracy to defraud the government or using false records to avoid paying the government.
Specific examples of government fraud include:
- Using unauthorized tax deductions
- Fraud in the acquisition of real estate
- Failing to correctly report income, assets or property to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- Falsely filing your taxes
- Filing duplicate insurance claims to defraud Medicare or Medicaid
- Billing for unnecessary healthcare services
If you believe that your employer has committed these or any other acts of government fraud, contact our Cincinnati whistleblower attorneys to discuss your legal options in a free consultation.
We have in-depth knowledge of all aspects of qui tam lawsuits and the rights of whistleblowers under the False Claims Act. Our legal team will put your best interests at the forefront of everything that we do.
How The Process Works
If you are considering blowing the whistle on individuals or entities that are committing government fraud, you need to understand how it works:
- Qui tam lawsuits must be filed within six years of the fraudulent actions or within three years from the time that the government should be or actually is aware of the fraud.
- You must file the lawsuit yourself. The False Claims Act states that these legal actions cannot be filed by third parties.
- Lawsuits are filed under seal. You do not have to worry about the accused party finding out that you filed a lawsuit as the government is the only entity that is allowed to see it.
- After the seal is lifted the accused will probably decide to settle the case out of court, as most qui tam claims are resolved that way.
- In a settlement, you could receive as much as 30 percent of the funds recovered through your claim. If the government decides to join your lawsuit, you could receive up to 25 percent of the recovered funds.
Even though you could receive more money without the government, your claim will have a much better chance of success if the government joins your lawsuit.
Your best chance of getting the government on your side is to work with a qualified Cincinnati whistleblower lawyer. We can help you draft all of the documents you need to file your lawsuit and make sure they contain all of the important information.
Even if our personal injury lawyers are unsuccessful in getting the government to join your lawsuit, we will help you negotiate a settlement that is fair given the details of your case. We firmly believe that you should receive compensation for bravely stepping forward to inform the government of people or entities that are committing fraud.
Retaliation For Filing A Qui Tam Lawsuit
While the law prohibits your employer from retaliating against you for filing a qui tam lawsuit, they might do it anyway. That is why the False Claims Act provides relief for retaliation, such as termination, threats, harassment, suspension, demotion or any other form of discrimination.
The False Claims Act states that relief includes reinstatement, double the amount of back pay for lost wages from your termination or demotion, interest on back pay and compensation for damages resulting from the discrimination, such as legal costs.
Our Cincinnati lawyers will help make sure you receive all of the relief you are entitled under the False Claims Act for blowing the whistle. We understand the risk you took by stepping forward and we are firmly committed to defending your rights.
Learn More About How a Cincinnati Whistleblower Attorney Could Help
It takes guts to become a whistleblower and expose people and businesses that are defrauding the government. Even though you have legal protection, the entire experience could be very stressful.
That is why our Cincinnati whistleblower lawyers are fully prepared to take on some of that burden to make the process a little easier and help give your claim a better chance of success. If your employer retaliates, we will fight for your rights to make sure you receive relief from retaliation.
