Although qui tam lawsuits have existed for hundreds of years, not everybody has appreciated them. In fact, although these lawsuits were invented in England some hundreds of years ago, England would later abolish the qui tam lawsuit in 1951.

The defining feature of the qui tam lawsuit is that the person who discovers and reports a fraud receives some portion of the funds which are recovered.

Of course, not everyone is familiar with qui tam lawsuits. Exactly how much money do whistleblowers tend to receive in these lawsuits? Read on to learn all about qui tam lawsuits and how much whistleblowers are usually paid in them!  

Qui Tam Lawsuits Definition 

Qui tam lawsuits are designed to encourage more people to report the crimes that they discover. That is why governments are willing to pay whistleblowers who help them recover funds that have been lost through fraud.

Some of the usual fields in which qui tam lawsuits occur are the medical field. Many people take advantage of social safety-net systems like Medicare and Medicaid. In other cases, people also commit similar frauds with defense contracts.

So far, qui tam lawsuits have led to the recovery of literally billions of dollars that were formerly stolen.

Who Can File a Qui Tam Lawsuit? 

Any person at all is eligible to get in touch with a qui tam lawyer and file a qui tam lawsuit. The only thing they need is information that suggests that there is fraud of some kind committed against the government. In most cases, this person will be an employee of a company engaged in fraud, but just because that is the usual case does not mean that it is necessary.

The qui tam lawyer is called a relator. In most cases, the qui tam lawsuit attorney will file the qui tam lawsuit on behalf of the whistleblower.

How Do You Stay Safe During the Qui Tam Lawsuit Procedure?

Of course, the very nature of whistleblowers is such that some people are not happy about them. They take a certain risk when they reveal the wrongdoings of others.

Qui tam lawsuits are filed confidentially. This helps to protect whistleblowers. It also gives the government time to investigate the accusations without tipping off the people or company that allegedly committed fraud. 

In general, there is a limit of 60 days for the government to investigate a qui tam filing. If a qui tam filing is successful, then the whistleblower will generally receive between 15 and 25% of the funds that are recovered.

Be Prepared to Manage a Qui Tam Lawsuit

We hope that you were able to learn something helpful about how qui tam lawsuits work and how much money someone can expect to receive from such a lawsuit. The world of law can be complicated and hard to predict, so luck tends to favor those who are prepared and maximally informed. It is more than worth the effort of preparation to increase the chance of making sure that a lawsuit goes the right way. 

To learn more about qui tam lawsuits and other issues about the law, you can reach out and get in touch with us at any time.