ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Whistleblowers Exposed Pharmaceutical Company’s Wrongdoing
Six Whistleblowers To Receive Large Awards
Six whistleblowers alerted the government to alleged misleading marketing practices of Reckitt Benckiser Group, manufacturer of Suboxone, an opioid drug.[1] Last week, Reckitt agreed to settle the whistleblower actions brought against it under the False Claims Act (FCA) for $1.4 billion. The whistleblowers are expected to split a reward totaling 15 percent to 25 percent of the $700 million the government will collect from Reckitt to settle civil charges included in the settlement. The California whistleblower attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. represent whistleblowers in these types of false claims cases. Our attorneys are currently representing two whistleblowers in a whistleblower case against another large pharmaceutical company for its alleged false claims to the government. If you have credible information for a false claims whistleblower case or any other whistleblower case in California, call us today at (415)441-8669 and we can help.
Whistleblowers play a key role in exposing the sales and marketing tactics of pharma companies, incentivized by the whistleblower protections and rewards under the False Claims Act to come forward. Without whistleblowers, it is unlikely the government would find out exactly how pharma companies have abused their position of trust to manipulate doctors and patients in a harmful way. In the reported case, the government says defendant used an internet and telephone program for opioid-addicted patients “to connect patients to doctors it knew were prescribing Suboxone and other opioids to more patients than allowed by federal law, at high doses, and in a careless and clinically unwarranted manner.” According to government allegations, the company used its tactics to prey on vulnerable patients and sell more of its opioids.
If you have credible information of fraud by a pharmaceutical company or other healthcare provider or government contractor under the False Claims Act we recommend you consult with counsel regarding how best to proceed. To be eligible for a reward, whistleblowers must report the fraud through appropriate and timely court filings or an application addressed to the appropriate government agency. That is where the California whistleblower attorneys at Evans Law Firm can help. Our attorneys know the appropriate procedures for your type of allegation and know how to organize and present your credible, original information and documentation in the most effective way. Additionally, the FCA and other whistleblower statutes protect you from retaliation by your employer for blowing the whistle on fraud. If you are fired because you brought any fraud to light, you can fight back. You may be entitled to sue your employer in federal court and seek double back pay (with interest), reinstatement, reasonable attorneys’ fees, and reimbursement for certain costs in connection with the litigation. Our California whistleblower attorneys can represent you in any action for retaliation as well as represent you in your underlying whistleblower application.
Contact Us
Our whistleblower attorneys handle all types of whistleblower cases involving bank fraud under FIRREA/FIAFEA, commodity trading and securities fraud under the Commodities Futures Trading Commission Whistleblower Program and the Securities and Exchange Commission Whistleblower Program, and tax fraud under the Internal Revenue Service Whistleblower Program. If you or a loved one has information regarding claims, offshore tax avoidance schemes against the IRS, or securities and commodity trading fraud in violation of SEC and CFTC regulations, contact Ingrid M. Evans and the other California whistleblower and false claims attorneys at Evans Law Firm at (415) 441-8669, or by email at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>. Our attorneys have experience with complex financial contracts and large insurance companies. We can help guide your case through a jury trial or toward an equitable settlement. We also handle cases involving physical and financial elder abuse, nursing home abuse, whole life insurance and universal life insurance, and indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. was not involved in the case in any way.
