After a being wrongfully fired in January 2009 for questioning the practices of city lottery contracts, a D.C. whistleblower has been awarded $1.7 million in a contract fraud lawsuit.
Eric Payne filed his whistleblower contract fraud lawsuit in 2010, alleging his wrongful termination as contracting director in the office of then-D.C. Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi.
Following a two-week trial before U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman, a jury ordered an award of $1.7 million in compensatory damages in Payne’s 6-year long contract fraud lawsuit.
Payne also is owed back pay and other equitable relief, including payment of his legal fees, according to the jury’s verdict.
Per the whistleblower contract fraud lawsuit, Payne resisted political pressure to take improper action regarding the award of the city’s lottery contract, and he questioned the office’s contracting practices.
Specifically, Payne had contended, and the jury agreed, that he was wrongfully demoted and fired by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer for blowing the whistle on corrupt contracting practices within the CFO’s office and not succumbing to political pressure to do something illegal with regard to the D.C. lottery contract.
Payne said his family returned to Northern Virginia for the contract fraud lawsuit trial after living and working three years in Saudi Arabia, after he said he had been unable find work in the Washington D.C. area.
Whistleblowers Can Help Stop Government Contract Fraud
With the help of whistleblowers across the country, the federal government has recovered billions of dollars in False Claims Act cases.
The False Claims Act (FCA) is a federal statute that allows whistleblowers, or “relators,” to bring qui tam actions (lawsuits) on behalf of the United States government and against their employers who are committing frauds against the government.
The most common areas of government contract fraud are:
- Defense Contractor Fraud
- Agricultural Subsidies Fraud
- Disaster Relief Fraud
- Environmental Fraud
- Research Grant Fraud
- Public Works and Construction Fraud
These qui tam lawsuits are filed “under seal” and the government has 60 days to elect to intervene. If the qui tam action is successful, and the government recovers money from a fraudulent contractor, the whistleblower who is the source of the information stands to take-home a considerable portion of the government’s recovery.
Filing a Contract Fraud Lawsuit
If you have information that a company is cheating the federal government and you want to see if you can qualify for an award, you need to act quickly. With the exception of a few rare situations, only the first whistleblower to report fraud can earn a financial award.
An experienced whistleblower attorney knows how to evaluate whistleblower claims and help the whistleblower persuade the government to both intervene in the contract fraud lawsuit and award the whistleblower the maximum amount of money that may be recovered under the law.
If you think you may have information about a company defrauding the government, you should consult with an attorney who specializes in the False Claims Act and whistleblower rights.
The Contract Fraud Lawsuit is Payne v. District of Columbia et al., Case No. 1:10-cv-00679, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
In general, whistleblower and qui tam lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions. Whistleblowers can only join this investigation if they are reporting fraud against the government, meaning that the government must be the victim, and that the alleged fraud should be a substantial loss of money.
Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual qui tam lawsuit or whistleblower class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.
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Join a Free Whistleblower, Qui Tam Lawsuit Investigation
If you believe that you have witnessed fraud committed against the government, you may have a legal claim. Whistleblowers can only join this investigation if they are reporting fraud against the government, meaning that the government must be the victim, and that the alleged fraud should be a substantial loss of money.
See if you qualify to pursue compensation and join a whistleblower lawsuit investigation by submitting your information for a free case evaluation.
An attorney will contact you if you qualify to discuss the details of your potential case.
Please Note: If you want to participate in this investigation, it is imperative that you reply to the law firm if they call or email you. Failing to do so may result in you not getting signed up as a client, if you qualify, or getting you dropped as a client.
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