What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You: A Primer On The False Claims Act

Right now, without your knowledge, your company could be a defendant in a lawsuit seeking tens of millions of dollars in penalties. The case could have been filed years ago, over conduct that could have happened years before that, by someone who could have continued to work for - and gather evidence against - your company ever since. Or perhaps the lawsuit has not yet been filed, but one of your current or former employees is preparing to do so. The government could be marshaling evidence through enhanced audits, administrative subpoenas, or other seemingly innocuous means that would not suggest that an investigation is even occurring. And you could conceivably remain in the dark until the government decides to unseal the complaint and issue a press release that lands your company in the spotlight that is page 1 of The New York Times.