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Alan Lescht and Associates represents federal government employees in whistleblower retaliation and False Claims Act cases.
A whistleblower is someone who publicly discloses his or her employer’s criminal activity or other misconduct. You may have a claim for whistleblower retaliation if your employer took an adverse action against you because you reported your employer’s unlawful conduct to the government.
Federal laws protect employees who complain about their employers’ unlawful acts. The Whistleblower Protection Act prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who complain about waste, fraud, or abuse. The Follow the Rules Act, passed in 2017, increases protections under the WPA. This new act protects employees who refuse to obey orders that would require them to violate laws, rules, or regulations.
The False Claims Act (FCA) also protects workers who report their employers’ bad acts. The FCA provides an incentive for private citizens who report fraud to the government. An individual can bring a special type of lawsuit, called a qui tam action, to sue a federal employer or contractor for filing a false claim for payment from the federal government. However, there are strict requirements for qui tam lawsuits. For example, you must be the first person to report the wrongdoing. You must also file the lawsuit under seal so that the employer or contractor who engaged in fraud will not immediately learn about the charges. This gives the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) time to investigate your claims. If DOJ finds evidence of fraud, it may join in the lawsuit. If your case is successful, you are entitled to a percentage of the money recovered.
If you complained about waste, fraud, or abuse by the government, we can help. Our attorneys will work with you to evaluate your case, discuss your options, and develop a strategy to assert your rights. Alan Lescht and Associates represents clients in connection with whistleblower retaliation and False Claims Act matters:
Send us an email or call us at (202) 463-6036 to speak with an experienced employment attorney. Alan Lescht and Associates offers strategic and results-driven legal services to clients in Washington, DC, Maryland, and northern Virginia, and to federal government employees around the world.
Our client worked for the VA as an Administrative Assistant. We won a trial held before an EEOC Administrative Judge in a Title VII retaliation case alleging non-selection and obtained an order awarding compensatory damages and attorneys’ fees.
We won a trial held before an EEOC Administrative Judge in a Title VII retaliation case and obtained an order awarding compensatory damages and attorney’s fees.