Washington Qui Tam Lawyers

Qui Tam Information

• What Is Qui Tam Litigation?
• Qui Tam - Not Your Typical Lawsuit
• The False Claims Act and Qui Tam
• Types of Qui Tam Fraud
• Qui Tam - Frequently Asked Questions

If you are aware of a person or company that has defrauded the government, or committed fraud against the federal government, contact a Seattle qui tam attorney at Teller & Associates today to find out about your legal rights. At Teller & Associates, our Washington qui tam lawyers have the knowledge and experience that are necessary to represent even the most challenging qui tam case. Our labor and employment law firm is located in Seattle, and our qui tam attorneys are available to represent clients throughout the United States, including Washington, Hawaii, California, Oregon.

Qui tam laws allow people to file lawsuits against individuals or corporations who have defrauded the U.S. government. Qui Tam is an abbreviated Latin phrase ("qui tam pro domino rege quam pro sic ipso in hoc parte sequitur") for "he who sues on behalf of the king and for himself." This type of law is similar to that of whistle blowing law, in which employees report employers for committing or attempting to commit illegal activities in the workplace. The case is filed secretly, and often investigated by the FBI before the defendant corporation even learns that it is being sued.

Qui tam laws then provide that the relator, the person who reports the fraud, will be compensated with a monetary reward. In 2003, relators recovered over one billion dollars as a result of qui tam laws, and recovered almost eight billion dollars from corporations and individuals who were defrauding the government.

There are many kinds of fraud against the federal government:

• Medicare overbilling
• Medicare fraud
• Federal grant fraud
• Clinical lab fraud
• Government procurement fraud
• Military contract fraud
• Education grant fraud
• Construction fraud
• Home Health Care fraud
• Government supplier fraud
• Government program fraud
• Contractor services fraud
• Fraudulent documentation
• Ambulance billing fraud
• False product inspections
• Work contract fraud
• Billing fraud
• Filing fraudulent paperwork
• Stating work was performed when it was not
• Intentionally misstating amounts owed to the government (reverse false claims)
• Any other fraud or misrepresentation which steals U.S. taxpayer money

The type of cases filed as qui tam actions generally revolve around false claims that are either directly or indirectly presented to the Government for "payment or approval." These false claims can be generated through the submission of false records, statements or other representations made to the Government.

Although the law covers a wide variety of fraudulent conduct under its definition of a false claim, the amendment does not cover false claims to the Government relating to tax returns. However, there is a reward program with the IRS. If your claim involves false tax returns, let us know right away.

There are several general types of cases filed as qui tam actions. One is the mischarging case which is the most common type of case filed. Mischarging cases generally involve filing false claims for goods or services that were not provided or delivered. A common mischarging scenario is employee labor charged to a government contract not worked on. Other common mischarging schemes are claims made to the Government for medical services not rendered or for services performed by an attending physician when the service was actually performed by a nurse or other provider that should have been billed at a lower rate.

Another type of case is the false negotiation or defective pricing case that involves the submission of false cost and pricing data to the Government. This scheme, which takes on many forms, involves the submission of false costs or pricing data to the Government during the negotiation of a contract that subsequently results in an inflated contract price.

Other common types of cases involve product and service substitution and false certification of entitlement for benefits. Examples of product and service substitution are falsely certifying that a product meets specifications, false testing schemes such as falsely certifying that reliability testing was conducted and providing an inferior service or product. Examples of false certification of entitlement cases are falsely certifying information for FHA mortgage guarantees and price supports, or falsely claiming products meet military aviation or similar standards.

If you know of or suspect illegal or fraudulent activities against the United States government, you have the right to file a qui tam lawsuit against the alleged party. This is a complex area of law, and it would be in your best interest to hire a skilled Washington qui tam lawyer at Teller & Associates to represent your qui tam case. We will utilize our expertise, and our contacts within the U.S. government, to review your case before filing it. We have had great success in these cases, and very much enjoy making money for our clients who do the right thing, and reclaiming taxpayer money stolen from the government.

If you or a loved one has knowledge of fraud against the government, please contact a qui tam attorney at Teller & Associates to discuss your case. We usually handle accident and injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning, "no recovery, no fee." Give us a call to see if we can help.