Whistleblower Lawsuits

The False Claims Act’s First To File Rule
The federal False Claims Act (FCA) has a “first-to-file” provision intended to bar “copycat” qui tam lawsuits. 31 U.S.C. §3730(b)(5).  The FCA provides that a qui tam whistleblower cannot “intervene or bring a related action based on the facts underlying” a pending qui tam action.
What this means is [...]

The Federal False Claims Act, also called the “Lincoln Act,” or “Lincoln’s Law” or ”Informer’s Act,” or the “Qui Tam statute,” was enacted during the American Civil War in 1863 at President Abraham Lincoln’s request.  The law was aimed at stopping dishonest suppliers to the Union military at a time when the war effort made it all but [...]