ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Endo Pharmceuticals and seven of its subsidiaries will pay $39 million to settle a whistleblower qui tam lawsuit alleging that the company manufactured and sold fluoride multivitamins containing less than half the labeled dosage. Fluoride is important to the dental health of children. Generally, we could find fluoride in the drinking water but sometimes that’s not enough, so doctors prescribe fluoride supplements to children. Also, the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics publish fluoride guidelines to assist doctors, basing dosages on the age of the children and the level of fluoride in their drinking water. Most of the cities in California have optimal fluoridation, either naturally provided or because the water system receives fluoridated water.
This case is a perfect example of the False Claim Acts, which authorizes private individuals, known as relators or whistleblowers, to bring a qui tam lawsuit on behalf of the federal government to recover money lost due to fraud. The federal government shares the money recovered with the relators, and because they helped the government, they earn a reward. Usually, they receive 10 to 30 percent of funds collected by the government as a result of their investigation. Moreover, the government compensates the whistleblower for legal fees.
If you know of any fraud carried out by a company against the government, contact the Evans Law Firm at (415) 441-8669, or by email at info@evanslaw.com. Evans Law Firm handles qui tam and whistleblower cases, as well as, financial and physical elder abuse and nursing home abuse, healthcare, insurance, annuity, and banking fraud.
