Whistleblowers, American Heroes, and Qui Tam Claims
During the Civil War, corrupt military contractors were defrauding the United States Army out of hundreds of thousands of dollars and putting troops at risk by supplying troops with defective products and faulty war equipment. Illegal price gouging was a common practice and the armed forces of the United States suffered. In response, Abraham Lincoln enacted the Federal Civil False Claims Act. A key provision of the act was known as qui tam.
The abbreviation is from Latin and refers to "a person who files a suit for the king as for himself". Qui tam laws have existed for centuries as deceptive government contractors have been around as long as government contracting has. Qui tam actions allow a private citizen to file a lawsuit on behalf of the U.S. government in an effort to recover losses caused by fraud against the government. The law is an incentive for civilians who know of individuals or companies making false claims for profit to come forward with information. In reward, the "whistleblower" (also known as the relator) shares in any federal revenue recovered.
For more information on Texas or Federal Qui Tam Lawsuits including defense contractor fraud, highway contractor fraud, health care fraud, or other governmental contractor or subcontractor fraud feel free to go to the following webpage on government contractor fraud lawsuits. It takes American heroes to keep corrupt government contractors from defrauding the United States Government out of millions or billions of dollars.
