Whistleblower Archives - Shavitz Law Group

On February 28, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Diversicare Health Services Inc., which owns nursing home facilities across the country, agreed to pay $9.5 million to resolve claims that it defrauded the government by submitting false claims to Medicare for services that were not reasonable, necessary or skilled.

Unfortunately, these types of claims are not uncommon, as fraud is prevalent throughout the healthcare industry. Wrongdoers profit by subjecting patients to treatments and procedures which are unnecessary or which can even injure them. The fraudulent claims are paid by hard-earned taxpayer dollars that fund Medicare which pays the medical providers.

The federal False Claims Act entitles employees who “blow the whistle” on fraud against the government to receive a percentage of funds recovered. In the Diversicare case, two former employees received respective shares of approximately $1.4 million and $145,000.

False Claims Act actions arise in other industries as well, including financial services, mortgage companies, cybersecurity, and educational institutions. The question for employees to ask themselves is whether the company is fraudulently billing the government for goods or services which are unnecessary, redundant, or not even provided.

Employees who are worried about reporting such fraudulent activities should be aware that the law protects them from retaliation from their employer.

Do you believe you have a False Claims Act report against your employer for fraudulent billing? Contact the Shavitz Law Group at 800-616-4800 today. We are very interested to discuss and investigate any such wrongdoing.

YOU EARNED IT, NOW LETS GO GET IT.

Gregg Shavitz, Shavitz Law Group, 951 Yamato Rd Ste 285, Boca Raton, FL and 800 3rd Ave, Suite 2800, New York, NY. Lawyers licensed in states including FL, NY, NJ, and TX. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based on advertisements alone.

Attorney Advertising

A common reason why people who feel that they have been wronged do not pursue their claims is they feel like they cannot afford a lawyer.

While this may be true in cases like contractual disputes, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) – the federal law that sets the requirements for overtime pay – protects employees by requiring a company to pay a prevailing plaintiff his or her reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, according to 29 U.S.C. § 216 (b). On the other hand, if an employee does not prevail in their claim, they do not have to reimburse the company any fees it may have incurred.

Thus, to the extent you may be owed back-pay from an employer, do not delay in speaking to our law firm because we do not charge you to represent you. Rather, our goal is to have the employer reimburse our fees and costs in pursuing any wages owe to you. And as a reminder, the statute of limitations continues to run on any claim for unpaid overtime — the law generally allows an employee up to two years of back-pay, which can be extended to a third year if the employer’s violation was reckless.

But the statute keeps running, and each week that goes by may be one less week of damages you can claim. Therefore, there is no reason not to call us to review with you. The consultation is free, and fees or costs thereafter incurred become the responsibility of the employer to reimburse if we prevail. And even if we do not prevail, It is generally our practice to not charge our clients, we win together or lose together.

Our track record has been solid 1999, so if you have any employment-related issues, please do not hesitate to call us directly at (800) 616-4000 for a free consultation. At Shavitz Law Group, we have helped thousands of workers stand up for their right to be fairly compensated. YOU EARNED IT, NOW LETS GO GET IT.

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING

Category: Whistleblower

Employees Reporting CERTAIN FRAUDS are Protected By Law

Why the Cost of Litigation Should Not Scare You from Bringing a Claim Against Your Employer