Pursuant to the False Claims Act, individuals are entitled to bring claims on the Government’s behalf whenever they believe or have reason to know that an individual or company is illegally taking money from the Government. If the citizen prevails on the claim, the citizen is entitled to collect a percentage of any money recovered on behalf of the Government. These lawsuits are called Qui Tam claims. Unfortunately, many individuals learn of the wrongful conduct at work, and threats of or actual retaliation is taken by the employer. An employer is prohibited by law from retaliating against an employee if the employee threatens to report the wrongdoing.
The healthcare industry has been the subject of many qui tam claims. Many lawsuits have been in the form of Medicare fraud. To date, the government has been able to collect millions of dollars as a result of individuals bringing qui tam claims on behalf of the government. These individuals in the qui tam lawsuits are called relators. Many relators have collected large sums of money as a result of prevailing in their claims.
If you believe that a company or individual that you work for is fraudulently collecting money from the government, you may have a qui tam claim. You may also have a claim if you have been demoted or terminated as a result of informing your employer of your concerns. Please contact De Varona Law for a free consultation if you believe that you have a qui tam claim. De Varona Law is a South Florida law firm that serves Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin Counties.