Qui Tam / Whistleblower Actions
Qui Tam is short for the Latin phrase qui tam pro domino rege quam pro se ipso in hac parte sequitur, which means "who pursues this action on our Lord the King's behalf as well as his own." Qui Tam or whistleblower actions date back centuries. Today, a complex statutory and regulatory scheme governs efforts by whistleblowers to bring injustice and fraud to light, and both protects whistleblowers while narrowly limiting the mechanisms by which they can recoup and recover damages. Our firm includes former federal prosecutors and civil defense lawyers who are familiar with how these cases are viewed by the government and by private industry. We have experience representing whistleblowers in cases involving health care providers, the defense industry, telecommunications corporations, for-profit schools, and other areas.
Farrell & Reisinger, LLC, is original counsel in the first incentive compensation case against a for-profit educational institution in which the United States Department of Justice has chosen to intervene, United States ex rel. Washington v. EDMC, Civil Action No. 2:07-cv-00461 (W.D.Pa.), available here. The Department of Justice had declined to intervene in 25 prior cases filed around the country. The government's complaint, filed on August 8, 2011, alleges damages of at least $11 billion. The States of California, Indiana, Illinois, and Florida also intervened and joined the case under their respective state False Claim Acts.
If you have questions about Farrell & Reisinger's qui tam and whistleblower practice, or if you believe that you have a claim on behalf of the United States government against a government contractor for fraud, please contact Thomas J. Farrell, Esquire, at tfarrell@farrellreisinger.com.