The False Claims Act: It Benefits More than Just the Government
“The False Claims Act, a Civil War-era law, encourages private individuals, such as whistleblowers, to come forward and file suit against unscrupulous government contractors, and share in the government’s recovery. The passage of the law was inspired by contractors selling the Union Army bags of sand as flour, lame mules as cavalry horses, and glued-together rags as uniforms,” posts Constantine Cannon in their Whistleblower Group Blog.
“The main purpose of the law is, of course, to encourage private individuals with knowledge of fraud to help the government recover ill-gotten money from fraudsters. The government recovers billions under the law annually. But the law benefits more than just taxpayers and the public—it could also help keep patients safe, help keep workers from being exploited, and help stave off environmental degradation.”