Basically, a whistleblower is any person who reveals to the general public some type of wrongdoing that is taking place within an organization. There is an area of law that handles whistleblower lawsuits, and this area of law is known as "Qui Tam," which is a shortened version of a very long Latin phrase that translates loosely to mean "he who serves on behalf of the King also serves himself." Simply put, a whistleblower is someone who reports that their company or individuals in their company are acting fraudulently, usually in some criminal manner. You will often hear of whistleblowers suffering severe backlash for being "snitches," but if it weren't for whistleblowers, billions of dollars would be lost each year through government programs.
Some of the most common whistleblower cases have to do with:
Medicare/Medicaid fraud
IRS (Internal Revenue Service) fraud
Medical insurance company fraud
Pharmaceutical company fraud
Nursing home fraud
Employment lawyers who dedicate themselves to whistleblower cases will work tirelessly to protect the whistleblower from any retaliation. Whistleblowers are also often entitled to a percentage of what they "save" the government or a certain company by reporting fraudulent behavior such as theft and embezzlement. That percentage varies from case to case and by state. Your experienced Qui Tam lawyer can explain how this works during your confidential consultation.
The False Claims Act
The False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. Sections 3729-33) allows someone with knowledge of fraud on the federal government, to sue on behalf of the government to recover stiff civil penalties and triple damages. If the suit is successful, it not only stops the fraudulent behavior but also deters similar conduct by others. The whistleblowers generally receive anywhere from 15 to 30 percent of the federal governments total recovery.