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The Categories:

General Questions
Legal Protections for Whistleblowers
Finding and Consulting With a Lawyer
False Claims Act and Qui Tam
False Claims Act Damages and Financial Recoveries
What constitutes a False Claims Act Violation?
Who Can Sue and Be Sued Under the False Claims Act?
What are the legal standards and other requirements for winning a False Claims Act case?
The Government Intervention Issue

General Questions

Am I a whistleblower?
Is all retaliation by an employer whistleblowing?
Can whistleblowing occur outside the employment situation?
Should I keep a diary or other "log"of what is happening at work or to me?
Do I have to have written documentation of the violations of law?
Should I talk with others about the wrongdoing that is happening?
What causes someone to be a whistleblower while co-workers seem content to go about business as usual?
What organizations exist to assist whistleblowers?
Do I have to file a lawsuit to be a whistleblower?
Once I decide to become a whistleblower, should I file a lawsuit?

Legal Protections for Whistleblowers

What legal protections exist for employee and former employee whistleblowers?
How do laws prohibiting discrimination and retaliation protect whistleblowers?
Where should complaints of whistleblower retaliation prohibited by federal laws be sent?
What federal laws protect environmental whistleblowers?
Who is protected by federal environmental whistleblower statutes?
Are there any federal laws that protect whistleblowers at federal nuclear sites?
What nuclear workers are protected by the Energy Reorganization Act?
Are there time limits for bringing whistleblower claims?
Do other laws besides federal laws protect whistleblowers?

Finding and Consulting With a Lawyer

Should I organize my information before I talk with a lawyer about my situation?
How should documents be organized for a lawyer?
Should documents be created to assist the lawyer in providing advice?
How important is finding the right lawyer for my case; can any lawyer handle it?
Most lawyers do not seem to know the laws applying to my situation; is this unusual?
How do I find and select the right attorneys to represent me in a whistleblower or False Claims Act qui tam case?
Should I look for a very large law firm to represent me?
What kinds of characteristics should a whistleblower look for in a prospective attorney?
Is there someone who can help me with questions that I should ask in looking for a lawyer to represent me?
My lawyer is suggesting that we find another law firm to assist in my False Claims Act case; why isn’t one lawyer enough?

False Claims Act and Qui Tam

What is qui tam?
What is the relationship between qui tam and the False Claims Act?
What are the whistleblower protection provisions for employees in the False Claims Act?
What is the history of the False Claims Act?
What does the False Claims Act cover?

False Claims Act Damages and Financial Recoveries

What money can a False Claims Act whistleblower recover?
What does the False Claims Act provide in terms of a financial recovery for the government?
How are the False Claims Act damages provisions interpreted and applied to determine damages in an actual case?
What amount can the relator recover for bringing a qui tam case?
Does the whistleblower relator have attorneys fees and costs paid?
Is there some dollar amount that a case must satisfy to bring a False Claims Act case?
How important is the potential defendant’s financial situation in deciding whether a case should be brought?
What have been the dollar recoveries in successful cases?

What Constitutes a False Claims Act Violation?

What is a "false claim"?
Are there specific provisions in the False Claims Act that state what it prohibits?
What constitutes a violation of 31 U.S.C. Sec. 3729(a)(1)?
How is a violation of 31 U.S.C. Sec. 3729(a)(2) different from a violation of Sec. 3729(a)(1)?
What about conspiracies among several companies or individuals; how does the False Claims Act address them?
Does the False Claims Act also cover situations where the defendant owes the Government money, so-called "reverse false claims"?
Are there any False Claims Act provisions that are less commonly used in qui tam cases but also prohibit cheating the government?
Does the False Claims Act apply to violations of the Internal Revenue Code?
Are particular types of cases frequently brought under the False Claims Act?
What kind of schemes to cheat the Government does the False Claims Act cover?
What are general indicators of a 'labor hours mischarging' case?
What kinds of cases involve charging for services not rendered?
What is a product substitution case?
What kinds of cases involve lack of compliance with contract specifications?
What are the fact patterns involved in false negotiation or defective pricing cases, often in violation of the Truth in Negotiations Act?
In what kinds of businesses or industries can illegal kickbacks occur?
Is health care fraud in violation of the False Claims Act frequent?
What are typical health care fraud schemes?
What is "upcoding"or "upcharging"in the health care field?
How do medical cost reporting irregularities result in a False Claims Act violation?
What kinds of False Claims Act violations occur with government grants?

Who Can Sue and Be Sued Under the False Claims Act

Can anyone sue or be sued under the False Claims Act?
Who cannot be sued under the False Claims Act?
What kinds of defendants are sued under the False Claims Act?
Does the False Claims Act apply where a subcontractor to the prime Government contractor actually made the false statements?
Can I sue the state government for cheating the Federal Government?
Can I sue my local government under the False Claims Act?
Can Federal Government employees bring a qui tam action under the False Claims Act?
Can multiple whistleblowers file separate cases?
Is there a race to the courthouse when more than one person could file as a qui tam relator?

What are the legal standards and other requirements for winning a False Claims Act case

Is proof of actual fraud by the Government contractor required to prove a False Claims Act violation?
What time period applies—is there a statute of limitations?
Are there any pitfalls that prevent valid qui tam claims under the False Claims Act from being successful?
What are the "public disclosure"and "original source" jurisdictional bars that could prevent a lawsuit from ever succeeding?
What steps should be taken to prevent the "public disclosure" rules from thwarting a valid claim under the False Claims Act?
How can I be sure that the "public disclosure and original source"laws do not bar my False Claims Act case?

The Government Intervention Issue

What happens if the Government does not support or "intervene"in my case?
What kinds of cases are not pursued by the relator or should not be pursued?
How does a defendant react if the Department of Justice does not intervene?
Where the Government does not intervene, do I have any other options besides dismissing the case or fighting to the bitter end?