July 30th is National Whistleblower Day. This year, the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) urged organizations to educate employees on the importance of whistleblowing and the rights a whistleblower is entitled to. Here, the attorneys at Peter Angelos Law, P.C. explain the importance of whistleblowing as well as how the NWC is celebrating National Whistleblower Day. Overview of Whistleblower and National…
Today, the attorneys at Peter Angelos Law extend our thanks to our nation’s whistleblowers who guard the integrity of our rights and democracy, expose fraudulent practices against the government and choose right over wrong. Especially in the midst of COVID, whistleblowers and the part they play in society are paramount to exposing noncompliance and mishandling of pandemic regulations. Whistleblowers All…
In recent False Claims Act news, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington announced in a press release published in late September that the Department of Energy (DOE) contractors agreed to settle whistleblower allegations by paying over $57 million. According to the press release, four relators filed a whistleblower complaint in 2017 under seal in the…
In 2016, Dr. Charles J. Wolf filed a whistleblower complaint against Merit Medical Systems upon his resignation as the company’s chief compliance officer. Wolf, who made the False Claims allegation after years of witnessing violations that were “deeply ingrained in Merit’s culture” received nearly $2.7 million of the $18 million settlement that resulted from four years of ensuing litigation. The…
In the latest news in whistleblower litigation, medical laboratory Cordant Health Solutions paid nearly $12 million to settle claims of paying millions of dollars to generate unnecessary urine testing. The civil lawsuit alleges that Cordant paid Genesis Marketing Group (GMG) and Northwest Physical Laboratories, LLC (NWPL) to increase urine testing orders for government-insured patients covered by Medicare and TRICARE. These…
The term “whistleblower” is predominantly used in the legal sphere, but it may be recognizable to the average individual as well. Whistleblowers are individuals, generally inside an organization, who report fraud, abuse or corruption within a corporation in exchange for legal protection and a potential financial reward. Here, the qui tam attorneys at Peter Angelos Law provide an overview of…
What is the False Claims Act, and how are whistleblowers protected under its provisions? Below, the skilled legal counsel at Peter Angelos Law provides an explanation of the False Claims Act and your rights as a whistleblower under qui tam. The False Claims Act Holds Entities Accountable for Committing Fraud Against the Government One of the most significant whistleblower laws…
On July 16th, 2020, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution designating July 30th, 2020 as National Whistleblower Appreciation Day for the eighth consecutive year. A whistleblower is an individual who, without authorization, reveals private or classified information about an organization, usually related to wrongdoing or misconduct. This date has historically been a meaningful date for whistleblowers, and here, the qui…
In the Fiscal Year 2019 alone, individuals filed 633 qui tam lawsuits, an average of more than 12 cases a week, and the Department of Justice recovered over $3 billion from False Claims Act cases. Qui tam cases are lawsuits in which an individual reports fraud by an individual or corporation perpetrated against the federal or state government, which results…