About the False Claims Act

The False Claims Act allows individuals to bring lawsuits on behalf of the government to reclaim misappropriated public funds. The federal government and many states have enacted False Claims Acts to encourage the public to report fraud by filing whistleblower actions. James T. Ratner is an experienced false claims lawyer who can help you succeed in your qui tam case.

• False Claims Act History
• The Importance of Whistleblowers
• Things to Consider if You Think You Have a Whistleblower Case
• Your 7-Step Whistleblower Guide
• Qui Tam Filing Process
• Common Pitfalls When Filing a Qui Tam Case
• What is the Potential Recovery for a Whistleblower?

The qui tam relator, or whistleblower, should have sufficient knowledge about fraud committed against the government. The False Claims Act provides for an award to the relator of between 15% and 30% in a successful whistleblower action. The FCA has a first-to-file provision to encourage early reporting of fraud. Potentially, those claimants who are second or third in line to file may be foreclosed from receiving any share of the proceeds.

Anyone who has credible information about a fraudulent claim submitted to the government can file a qui tam action as long as one did not simply learn about the fraud from public information, such as in press reports. Ideally, you should be able to document the fraud, which requires an in-depth knowledge of the situation.

A qui tam relator should be represented by a lawyer because you are bringing the case on behalf of the government and the government cannot be represented by a non-attorney in court.

Whistleblower actions can cover a gamut of scenarios. Common types of false claims include:

• Submitting false claims, such as duplicate billing, to Medicare or Medicaid
• Submitting false claims for payment to any governmental agency or grantee of public funding
• Submitting claims for payment for defective or substandard parts under a government contract
• The non-disclosure of costs by a contractor during bidding for a government contract
• Money Laundering and securities fraud

If you are ready to blow the whistle on false claims against the government or financial industry fraud that you have witnessed, please contact James T. Ratner or call (845) 688-5222 today to discuss your qui tam case with an experienced whisteblower lawyer, representing clients in New York and nationwide.