Whistleblowers play a critical role in exposing fraud, corruption, and misconduct that undermine the integrity of our financial systems, government programs, and corporate practices. Preti Flaherty’s Whistleblower & False Claims Act Practice Group is committed to representing and protecting individuals who courageously report violations as qui tam relators or through the whistleblower programs managed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), and other federal and state agencies.

Our whistleblower attorneys bring to the table decades of collective experience in navigating these complex and high-stakes cases. Our clients have helped the United States and various state governments recover more than $1.5 billion for taxpayers and shareholders – including one client whose whistleblowing led to a record-breaking $480 million in settlements with an Indiana hospital system for allegedly paying inflated salaries to physicians to corrupt the physicians’ decision on where to send their patients for medical care.

We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our whistleblower clients, ensuring that their rights are protected throughout the legal process while maintaining the utmost confidentiality and professionalism. And we fight for our clients to obtain the compensation they deserve for having the courage to blow the whistle: clients represented by Preti Flaherty whistleblower attorneys have personally received more than $100 million in whistleblower recoveries as a result of their efforts to expose fraudulent conduct.

Our Areas of Focus:

Preti Flaherty represents whistleblowers in the following key areas, among others:

  • False Claims Act (“Qui Tam”) Litigation: Representing whistleblowers (known as “relators”) who expose fraud against the government, including healthcare and government contractor fraud. Whistleblowers can receive between 15% and 30% of the government’s recovery in such cases. Preti Flaherty attorneys played a lead role in representing the whistleblower in United States and the State of Indiana ex rel. Thomas Fischer v. Community Health Network, Inc., et al., No. 1:14-cv-1215 (S.D. Ind.), in which the whistleblower’s claims settled for a total of $480 million – the largest settlement for a case of its kind in United States history.
  • SEC & CFTC Whistleblower Programs: Representing whistleblowers reporting securities violations such as insider trading, accounting fraud, and market manipulation. Whistleblowers can receive between 10% and 30% of the government’s recovery in such cases. 
  • IRS Whistleblower Program: Representing whistleblowers who report significant tax fraud or evasion. Whistleblowers can receive between 15% and 30% of the government’s recovery in such cases. 
  • Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: Representing whistleblowers who have information regarding bribes to officials of foreign governments for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or information regarding accounting misconduct relating to such bribes. Whistleblowers can receive between 10% and 30% of the government’s recovery in such cases. 

Our Approach and Contingent-Fee Representation:

At Preti Flaherty, we take a proactive, strategic approach to whistleblower cases, conducting thorough investigations and leveraging our extensive knowledge of regulatory enforcement. We work hand-in-hand with government agencies, including the Department of Justice, the SEC, the IRS, and state attorneys general, to expose the fraud uncovered by our clients and to ensure that our clients receive the reward they deserve for successful cases.

Some attorneys will tell potential whistleblower clients that all the whistleblower has to do is make a submission to the government and then sit back and wait while the government does all the work. That is not how we approach these cases at Preti Flaherty. We draw upon our years of expertise and our reputation as hard working advocates to do everything we can to help the government investigate and prosecute the case. In our experience, the more we can help the government, the more likely a case is to be successful.

Even more, except in rare cases, we represent clients on a contingent fee basis, meaning that whistleblower clients do not pay us up front or on an hourly basis – we only receive payment if we are successful in recovering money for our clients.

Why Preti Flaherty?

Preti Flaherty’s whistleblower attorneys have a proven track record of securing major recoveries for clients. We offer:

  • Extensive Experience: Our attorneys are well-versed in the complex legal frameworks governing whistleblower cases and have represented clients in some of the most high-profile whistleblower lawsuits in the country. While many of our clients’ cases can be resolved discreetly and behind-the-scenes, we are not afraid to fight the powers that be when necessary: we have tens of thousands of hours of experience in litigating qui tam whistleblower cases against some of the best defense firms in the country.
  • Comprehensive Support: We guide our clients through every step of the process, from initial investigations to litigation if necessary, ensuring they are fully informed from the outset and prepared for the challenges ahead.
  • Confidentiality and Protection: Many whistleblower programs include confidentiality protections that permit the whistleblower to proceed anonymously. We are dedicated to maintaining the confidentiality of our clients to the fullest extent of the law by protecting their identities and safeguarding them from potential retaliation.
  • Maximized Recoveries: We work tirelessly to maximize our clients’ individual recoveries, which are intended to give an incentive for people to act as courageously as our clients do. Our Preti Flaherty team has secured more than $100,000,000 in personal recoveries for its whistleblower clients.
  • Commitment to Justice: Our mission is about much more than recovering funds for our clients and the government. At the core of our work is a desire to promote corporate accountability, protect public resources, and deter future misconduct. We take pride in our work and in helping our clients to protect American taxpayers and investors.

Contact Us:

If you have uncovered fraud or corporate misconduct and wish to speak with an attorney confidentially, please contact our Whistleblower & False Claims Act Practice Group for a free consultation. Regardless of whether you are reporting fraud in healthcare, finance, or a different industry, we are here to help you determine whether the misconduct you have uncovered falls within the scope of a whistleblower program and whether that program permits confidentiality, to work with you to make informed decisions about how best to proceed, and to fight for you tooth and nail once you have taken the brave step of blowing the whistle.