False Claims Under False Claims Act
Qui tam whistleblowers, also known as relators, have enabled the government to recover more than $30 billion. In fiscal year 2017 alone, qui tam actions brought by whistleblowers resulted in $3.4 billion in settlements and judgments, and the government paid $392 million in whistleblower awards to False Claims Act whistleblowers.
The False Claims Act imposes civil liability on “any person who . . . knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval” or “knowingly makes, uses, or causes to be made or used, a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim” paid by the Government. 31 U.S.C. § 3729(a)(1)(A) & (B).
The essential elements of an FCA claim are
- a false statement or fraudulent course of conduct,
- made or carried out with the requisite scienter,
- that was material, and
- caused the government to pay out money or forfeit moneys due.
- A factually false claim misrepresents what goods or services were provided to the Government.
- A legally false claim falsely certifies that the claiman] has complied with a statute or regulation the compliance with which is a condition for payment.
- evidence that the provision is expressly labeled a condition of payment and
- evidence that the government consistently refuses to pay claims in cases where the claimant did not comply with the provision.
Contact our False Claims Act Whistleblower Lawyers Today
Call our False Claims Act whistleblower lawyers today for a free consultation at 202-262-8959.
We have worked on significant whistleblower rewards and retaliation cases resulting in substantial recoveries to the government, including cases profiled in Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud and Money, Politics, and Corruption in U.S. Higher Education: The Stories of Whistleblowers.
Click below to find out about key aspects of qui tam litigation:
- What is a qui tam whistleblower lawsuit?
- What types of false claims are prohibited by the False Claims Act?
- What is the first-to-file bar in False Claims Act qui tam cases?
- What is the requirement to file a False Claims Act qui tam action under seal?
- Are False Claims Act whistleblowers protected against retaliation?
- What is a reverse false claim?
- What is the statute of limitations for a False Claims Act qui tam action?
- What is the public disclosure bar in the False Claims Act?
- What is the original source exception to the public disclosure bar?
- What is materiality under the False Claims Act?
- What is “Scienter” Under the False Claims Act?
- Is a Violation of the Anti-Kickback Law Also a Violation of the False Claims Act?
- Does the False Claims Act Prohibit Bid-Rigging?
- Does the False Claims Act Prohibit Fraudulent Inducement of a Contract?
- Can a violation of Good Manufacturing Practices give rise to False Claims Act Liability?
- Is there a heightened pleading requirement for False Claims Act qui tam cases?
- Does the False Claims Act authorize treble damages?
- Must a False Claims Act qui tam relator have firsthand knowledge of all aspects of the fraud?