ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Qui tam lawsuits are commonly made by whistleblowers under the False Claims Act; law that rewards whistleblowers if they help the government recover funds.
Becoming a whistleblower takes courage and patience. Patience is required since qui tam lawsuits are filed under seal, and generally takes a lengthy period of time before the government finishes their investigation. It also takes courage because whistleblowers are often employees of a company or business that is suspected of wrongdoings. As a result, whistleblower’s often face retaliation in the form of being terminated from their jobs once the case becomes unsealed (after investigation is complete.)
California’s state hospital system and three of its employees are recently required to pay a combined $1 million award to a state hospital psychologist acting as a whistleblower, after a jury decided the psychologist was pressured to declare mentally ill patients competent for trial using questionable assessment methods, and was then fired for exposing the policy.
This lawsuit took a great deal of patience as the trial took months, before a verdict was reached. However, from this case, one can see that whistleblowers are protected under the law. One can also see that being a whistleblower is not just about receiving monetary awards, but to stop unethical practices that may affect or harm others. Since whistleblowers are often employees, they are the only ones that can provide vital information, and evidence to unravel the wrong doings of businesses or companies.
With office locations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Sonoma County, Evans Law Firm, Inc. handles whistleblower and false claims (qui tam) lawsuits, whistleblower award claims, and Securities and Exchange Commission and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblower cases. If you think you have a whistleblower claim or have been the victim of financial fraud, contact Evans Law Firm, Inc. for a free and confidential consultation at
415-441-8669 or info@evanslaw.com
