2024 Breaks Records for Qui Tam Whistleblower Cases

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2024 was an unprecedented year for the United States government in terms of qui tam whistleblower cases brought under the False Claims Act. According to the Department of Justice, settlements and judgments under the False Claims Act exceeded $2.9 billion.
Over 979 qui tam lawsuits were filed, which was the highest number ever recorded and surpassed the previous high set back in 2013. There were various entities committing widespread types of fraud that were addressed and recovered using the False Claims Act. The highest recoveries were attributable to health care fraud, which accounted for 58% of the total claims. Medicare fraud whistleblower lawyers were essential in filing these whistleblower lawsuits in 2024. One outsized defense contractor fraud case that had many dimensions settled in aggregate for $950 million, the second largest defense contractor settlement, and the False Claims Act component was handled by storied whistleblower law firm Brown, LLC
What are Qui Tam Whistleblower Cases?
Qui tam whistleblower cases are claims brought by private individuals typically using insider information to bring to light fraudulent activity against federal government programs. Whistleblowers, also known as relators, file these claims on behalf of the government under the guidance of whistleblower lawyers to ensure the stringent procedural requirements of the False Claims Act are followed. It’s called a qui tam which is part of a much larger latin phrase “qui tam pro domino rege quam pro se ipso in hac parte sequitur” meaning, “He who sues on behalf of the King as well as for himself in this matter.” The King here is the United States and the “himself” is the relator/whistleblower.
Upon filing, the federal government reviews the claim to determine whether or not it will intervene on behalf of the relator. If not, the relator may have the option to proceed with the case by themselves if the government doesn’t object. Depending on the quality and quantity of the information shared and the decision of the government to intervene or not, the whistleblower is entitled to a share of the government’s recovery if the individual is the first to file. This whistleblower award can range from 15% to 30% of the financial recovery.
Notable Settlements in the 2024 Qui Tam Whistleblower Cases under the False Claims Act
There were multiple notable qui tam whistleblower cases in 2024. These cases include:
Raytheon: In October 2024, Raytheon agreed to pay $950 million to settle allegations of fraudulent pricing and foreign bribery. Raytheon was alleged to have inflated costs on Department of Defense contracts which caused the government to overpay for missile systems and radar services. Brown, LLC represented the whistleblower in the False Claims Act settlement, playing a key role in bringing the issue to light, which resulted in the $428 million portion of the settlement. As a reward for her efforts, the whistleblower received a $4.2 million False Claims Act whistleblower reward.
Teva Pharmaceuticals: In October 2024, Teva agreed to resolve allegations for $450 million that the company paid Medicare’s patients’ copays to incentivize them to request a specific drug while increasing the drug’s prices.
Walgreens: In September 2024, Walgreens agreed to pay $106.8 million for allegations that false claims were submitted to Medicare and Medicaid for prescriptions that were never actually provided. A former Walgreens district pharmacy supervisor filed a qui tam lawsuit in the District of New Mexico concerning improper billing of Medicare Part B and will receive $1,620,000 as part of the settlement as a whistleblower reward for doing the right thing. There are several other Walgreens cases ongoing that are unsealed and intervened, one of the relators is represented by Brown, LLC.
NextGen Healthcare: In July 2024, an electronic health record company agreed to settle allegations for $31 million that it misrepresented its software and provided unlawful remuneration to users to recommend the software.
Dell: In November 2024, Dell agreed to resolve allegations for $4.3 million that the company (along with Iron Bow Technologies) conspired to submit non-competitive bids to the Army and overcharged the Army for a computing contract.
Key Themes in the 2024 Qui Tam Whistleblower Cases
The United States government continues to rely on the tips of whistleblowers to identify and prosecute fraudulent claims using taxpayer money. As Jason T. Brown, head of the whistleblower law firm Brown, LLC who played a role in the biggest case of the year noted:
“Whistleblowers were instrumental in uncovering rampant fraud in 2024, shining a light on misconduct that might have otherwise gone unchecked. Their courage and commitment to accountability exemplifies the significant impact individuals can have in protecting public trust and justice. Only a few billion were recaptured, when there’s most likely hundreds of billions each year that are pilfered from the government, so no time is better to act than right now.”
Some key themes that came to light in the 2024 qui tam whistleblower cases include:
Healthcare Fraud Continues to Dominate False Claims Act Recoveries
As in previous years, healthcare fraud claims, particularly those involving Medicare and Medicaid, comprised of most of the settlement recoveries. These included claims for fraudulent billing practices, kickbacks to physicians and patients, opioid misconduct, providing unnecessary services, and misrepresenting healthcare technology features.
Procurement and Defense Contract Fraud
Government contracts, particularly in the defense sector, were big in 2024, with the Raytheon settlement resulting in $428 million False Claims Act settlement. Some of the procurement fraud and defense contractor fraud claims included overbilling for services, providing goods or services that were substandard or noncompliant with industry standards, procuring non-competitive bids to secure contracts, cross-charging schemes, engaging in kickbacks, and falsely inflating costs in costs plus contracts.
PPP Loan Fraud & Grant Fraud
Fraudulent claims were seen targeting federal funds intended to be used for government contracts or assistance. Examples included continued misappropriation of relief funds in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, fraudulent certifications for federal loan programs, and false statements being used for government-backed products.
How to Become a Whistleblower Under the False Claims Act
A record-breaking number of qui tam whistleblower cases were filed in 2024. Since 1986, the number of cases filed has increased, with an average of more than 18 new cases filed every week in 2024. To file a whistleblower case under the False Claims Act, it is highly recommended to identify an experienced nationwide whistleblower law firm like Brown, LLC to give yourself the best shot of prevailing. In all likelihood 2025 will continue to have a record amount of False Claims Act filings and average a couple billion in settlements and a few hundred million in whistleblower awards like the trend has been for the last decade.