The False Claims Act encourages individuals with knowledge of fraud against the Government to file a court action seeking damages for the fraud. It does this by promising a bounty. The relator receives a percentage of the amount recovered in a false claims case. But there is a constant tension between encouraging plaintiffs to bring cases alleging fraud and protecting defendants from frivolous cases. The January 11, 2011 decision in United States ex rel. Folliard v. Hewlett-Packard Co. illustrates how the requirement that a plaintiff include all of the details of an alleged fraud in the initial complaint helps strike this balance.
DOJ Fraud Statistics for 2010
By Brian Waagner on
Posted in False Claims Act, Qui tam litigation
The Justice Department’s most recent fraud statistics are worth checking out if you follow enforcement of the False Claims Act. The federal government is reporting that it collected over $3 billion in judgments and settlements in False Claims Act cases resolved through the end of Fiscal Year 2010. About 80 percent of the recoveries were…