Qui tam lawsuits are brought against companies that engage in fraudulent practices involving a municipal, state or federal government contract, or that otherwise commit acts of fraud or corruption against a government entity. Any person who is aware of fraud or corruption connected to the fulfillment of a government contract by a private business or public corporation may file a qui tam claim. Many different qui tam laws exist to protect employees. The most important source of qui tam laws include:
Federal False Claims Act: protects whistleblowers who report government fraud
Dodd-Frank Act: protects whistleblowers who report misconduct to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection
Sarbanes-Oxley Act: protects whistleblowers who report financial, bank, wire, mail or securities fraud
Whistleblowers may be entitled to a substantial portion of the recovered funds pursuant to various provisions under these Acts. The government wants to encourage individuals to report fraudulent activities and offers significant financial rewards for people willing to do so. Please contact the attorneys at Work Justice to discuss how we can help you with a qui tam action.
