In addition to connecting with the DOJ on your behalf (if warranted), a knowledgeable whistleblower attorney will certainly additionally have the ability to assess the scope, nature, and source of the details you have in your possession to determine whether you can qualify as a qui tam relator.
Fraud costs united state taxpayers thousands of billions of dollars annually, and the U.S. Division of Justice (DOJ) relies on whistleblowers to find onward and submit qui tam suits. Since preparing and submitting a qui tam suit is a substantial endeavor, it will usually make sense to contact the DOJ before taking these steps.
Relators must also be prepared to seek their qui tam suits separately if the DOJ decreases to interfere after its examination. A knowledgeable whistleblower attorney will be able to interact effectively with the DOJ in your place (while shielding your identification) to establish whether you will certainly qualify as a qui tam relator if you determine to move forward.
Under the False Claims Act, qui tam relators can get between 15 and 30 percent of the federal government's recuperation in most cases-- which typically converts to numerous thousands, if not millions, of dollars. This is true no matter whether the DOJ (or one more government agency) is already carrying out an investigation into the issue involved.
In this scenario, you would typically be qualified to between 15 percent and 25 percent of the federal government's recovery if the largest lawsuit settlement is successful. Submitting a qui tam suit differs filing other sorts of federal whistleblower issues.
While many federal whistleblower programs permit (and need) whistleblowers to submit their issues straight with the relevant government firm, qui tam relators need to file their grievances in government area court. As a result of the considerable substantive and procedural demands for submitting a qui tam claim, if you have original info" in your possession, it will certainly be very important to act without delay.
If the DOJ makes a decision to interfere, it will take over your qui tam claim and seek proper remedies under the False Claims Act in government district court. Nevertheless, filing a qui tam claim is not a straightforward process. The qui tam provision holds business and people answerable and the federal government makes use of the qui tam action to do the same.