Like hot dogs and buns, whistleblowers and qui tam cases often go together. Qui tam is just the first few words in a Latin sentence describing the act of bringing a lawsuit on behalf of both the government and yourself.
For many years, the government has received billions of dollars in False Claims Act (FCA) recoveries for a variety of frauds. False claims come to light under many programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, COVID relief programs and contractor billing. The Justice Department reports that in fiscal 2022, it took in $2.2 billion in FCA settlements. Most of it — $1.9 billion — came from qui tam lawsuits. Motivated whistleblowers who sued and eventually received $488 million of the recoveries.
Easy money it’s not. For whistleblowers, the day of settlement often comes after years of litigation, reprisal and harmed careers, in spite of the statutory protections against this sort of retaliation.
Washington, D.C. whistleblower attorney Stephen Kohn of Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, doesn’t just defend whistleblowers, he believes fervently in them and in whistleblowing itself. In the introduction to his latest book, “Rules for Whistleblowers,” Kohn states what whistleblowing “has dramatically evolved into a cornerstone for enforcing anti-corruption laws.”
Police have registered an FIR against former Delhi minister Rajendra Pal Gautam for allegedly spreading misleading information through a video and attempting to disturb communal harmony after claim...