Whistleblower

Qui Tam Whistleblower Law

The first step to bringing a whistleblower case is deciding whether to file suit at all. Litigation should never be undertaken lightly, and qui tam litigation is no exception. Blowing the whistle can be an emotionally absorbing and career-altering step. That said, many whistleblowers who have tried and failed to stop the defrauders short of litigation see pursing qui tam actions as their civic duty and only ethical choice.

Contact the Chicago civil rights law firm of Loevy & Loevy to discuss your potential whistleblower lawsuit.

We handle several types of whistleblower cases:

• Iraqi conflict whistleblower cases
• Blowing the whistle anonymously
• Tax fraud whistleblower laws
• Declined false claims act cases

Fortunately, the law also rewards whistleblowers with a bounty, and the payments can be substantial. In the last decade alone, qui tam whistleblowers under the federal False Claims Act have recovered almost $10,000,000,000 for the United States, and have received over $1,600,000,000 for themselves as a reward. These staggering sums do not even count the hundreds of millions of dollars whistleblowers have recovered under state false claims statutes. Qui tam law is truly one of the rare opportunities where you can do well by doing good.

In addition to the possible financial rewards, whistleblower suits also bring needed protections for whistleblowers. The federal False Claims Act (and those of many states) prohibits employment retaliation against whistleblowers and provides meaningful remedies, such as double back pay, emotional distress, and punitive damages, if the employer does not abide. When the employer is a governmental entity or a contractor exercising governmental powers, then the First Amendment to the United States Constitution can provide additional protections. Finally, if you involve an attorney early enough, it may be possible to stop the retaliation before it causes harm to your career with a court injunction that ends the harassment and preserves your job.

Loevy & Loevy's attorneys have nationwide experience litigating all types of whistleblower suits including False Claims Act qui tams as well as whistleblower retaliation and whistleblower civil rights actions. We are thoroughly familiar with the particular needs of whistleblower clients. We always maintain the strictest confidentiality for our clients (including providing written nondisclosure agreements upon request) and never use client information for any purpose other than to pursue the client's case. We also understand the serious career concerns for many of our clients who are considering blowing the whistle. In addition to advising these clients on their decisions, our attorneys have devised creative ways to help clients remain anonymous in the process of claiming whistleblower awards.

Loevy & Loevy invests heavily in the cases that we accept, often spending thousands of hours of attorney time and hundreds of thousands of dollars. That is because we play to win. Even though many cases do settle, we litigate every case with an eye towards beating the defrauders at trial and proving our client's case to a jury. That is not only what good lawyers are supposed to do, but it is the only way to hold the defrauders' "feet to the fire" and force them to pay fair damages, whether by a jury verdict or by settlement.

Many other whistleblower firms are not interested in actually trying your case and they lack the wherewithal to do it. Their only plan is to lob the qui tam case to the U.S. Attorneys and tag along if (and only if) the government intervenes.

When Loevy & Loevy takes a case it is because we believe in it and are prepared to stay for the long haul, even if the government declines to intervene (as it does in over 75 percent of all FCA cases). We always work on contingency, meaning that you will never pay out-of-pocket for our services, and we only get paid if you do. Also, with us, you have the assurance of a firm that can take your case to a jury. Unlike many whistleblower firms, we are trial lawyers who actually try cases, and we have a winning record. We litigate aggressively and we are used to obtaining multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements for our clients, typically in hard-to-win cases against state and federal government officials.

To see the breadth of the work we can do for you, please review our list of representative whistleblower cases:

United States ex rel. Cericola v. Fannie Mae, United States District Court for the Central District of California (Banking industry insider brings False Claims Act case against Fannie Mae for mortgage fraud, blowing the whistle before the public and Congress learned about the mortgage giant's rampant abuses.)

Vance v. Rumsfeld, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (A private contractor in Iraq who blew the whistle on governmental corruption and bribery schemes sues Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.)

United States ex rel. Coppock v. Northrop Grumman Corp., United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas (Environmental treatment worker brought innovative False Claims Act and retaliation suit against military defense contractor for polluting federal government property and local public waterways in and around Dallas, Texas.)

Hanania v. Betty Loren-Maltese, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Former government employees who blew the whistle on corruption and mafia control of the government in a Chicago suburb before the federal government prosecuted the mob-connected mayor sued for whistleblower retaliation and won.)

If you have any questions or wish to consult about a case, please contact us. We treat all inquiries as privileged and confidential attorney-client communications.