Source: https://www.hbsslaw.com/service/practices/whistleblower-litigation
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 17:49:56+00:00

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Hagens Berman—among the largest plaintiff-side law firms in the world—has decades of experience filing and prosecuting cases on behalf of whistleblowers in False Claims Act qui tam litigation, and has successfully represented dozens of Dodd-Frank whistleblowers with claims of securities fraud and commodities fraud under the SEC and CFTC programs, as well as IRS whistleblowers reporting tax fraud.
Hagens Berman’s litigation experience is unsurpassed. We have succeeded for our whistleblower clients where other lawyers have failed. We have unmatched global resources to fight for whistleblowers—unlike most other firms, Hagens Berman fights daily and wins against the world’s “too big to jail” corporations.
Our firm does not represent corporate or other business interests. We represent whistleblowers who challenge them. Our clients are located throughout the United States and around the world. Hagens Berman prosecutes cases in nearly every federal district and dozens of state courts. We litigate False Claims Act cases in courts across the country. We also handle Dodd-Frank whistleblower cases on behalf of our SEC and CFTC whistleblower clients with cases in nearly every Regional Enforcement office of the SEC and several CFTC Enforcement offices.
Cases brought under federal and state False Claims Act laws and under the Dodd-Frank whistleblower programs of the SEC and CFTC provide financial rewards to private citizens who properly report wrongdoing to the government.
Hagens Berman litigates False Claims Act cases on behalf of whistleblowers challenging health care fraud, defense contractor fraud, financial/banking fraud, procurement fraud, education fraud, and other fraud committed by entities that receive government funding or government insurance.
We also represent dozens of Dodd-Frank whistleblowers under the SEC and CFTC programs, many of whom have been awarded for their reporting. Unlike the vast majority of whistleblower law firms, Hagens Berman has proven expertise in the area of financial fraud, with noted experts in securities and commodities and victories against large public companies and investment firms who committed financial fraud.
The law firm you choose can make all the difference. More than 90% of False Claims Act cases are unsuccessful. Less than 1% of SEC and CFTC whistleblower complaints result in an award—in fact, less than 3% of whistleblower complaints even cause the SEC or CFTC to even open an investigation. We build successful cases with our whistleblower clients that beat those odds.
Most defendants in high-stakes False Claims Act litigation retain large, powerful defense law firms to represent them. Hagens Berman is one of the few False Claims Act whistleblower law firms that successfully litigates cases against the largest and wealthiest defense firms every day in high-stakes litigation. Most whistleblower law firms do not. And choosing a firm with that kind of experience and talent can make the difference in your False Claims Act case.
Among many others, Hagens Berman represents the two most prominent whistleblowers under the SEC and CFTC whistleblower programs. Both of our clients brought successful, record-setting cases under the SEC and CFTC whistleblower programs. Other clients of ours are doing the same. We take a small number of cases—ones that will beat the odds and trigger enforcement investigations.
Before you make a decision about which law firm and which lawyers you trust to best represent your interests as a whistleblower, contact our whistleblower law experts and learn what makes Hagens Berman different.
Hagens Berman represented the first Countrywide and Bank of America whistleblower challenging widespread mortgage fraud through fraudulent appraisal and underwriting activity committed by Countrywide Financial Corp. (and later Bank of America) in U.S. ex rel. Lagow v. Countrywide Finan. Corp. (E.D.N.Y.) earning our client a multimillion-dollar award from the more than $1 billion-dollar settlement. This case rang in a new era of mortgage fraud enforcement that continues to this day.
Hagens Berman also represented another Bank of America whistleblower challenging Bank of America’s failure to provide benefits to homeowners under the Home Affordable Mortgage Program in U.S. ex rel. Mackler v. Bank of Amer. Corp. (E.D.N.Y.) earning our client a large award from the same billion-dollar settlement. This case commenced a wave of litigation on behalf of homeowners wrongly denied mortgage relief by banking giants.
Hagens Berman represented an esteemed physician and research scientist in a case challenging unlawful conduct by pharmaceutical giant Amgen Inc. in the health care fraud case U.S. ex rel. Horowitz v. Amgen Inc. (W.D. Wa.) earning our client a multimillion-dollar award. This case drew attention to several unlawful pharmaceutical industry practices, including relationships with medical providers and drug industry brokers.
Hagens Berman represented both a nationally ranked sales representative and a medical device engineer in this settled lawsuit, U.S. ex rel. Nowak v. Medtronic Inc. (D. Mass.), challenging Medtronic’s off-label promotion of medical devices. This important case, which we settled, highlighted an industry practice of off-label marketing and promotion of medical devices approved by the FDA as one class of device, though promoted for higher-risk use.
We represented an expert physician and scientist in the False Claims Act suit, U.S. ex rel. Polansky v. Pfizer, Inc. (E.D.N.Y.) challenging the company’s alleged off-label promotion and marketing of the blockbuster statin drug Lipitor, at one time the most profitable drug in America.
Hagens Berman represented health care finance expert Anthony Kite in this complex, declined False Claims Act litigation, U.S. ex rel. Kite v. Besler Consult., et al. (D. N.J.), against several large hospitals who committed Medicare fraud through false claims for “outlier” payments. Mr. Kite’s diligent efforts resulted a multimillion-dollar award to him.
We represented two whistleblowers, a physician and health care executive, challenging Center for Diagnostic Imaging, Inc.’s violation of anti-kickback laws through its presentment of false claims to the government in U.S. ex rel. West v. Center for Diagnostic Imaging, Inc. (W.D. Wa.). In this complex, declined case, we recovered additional funds for the government and awards for our clients.
Hagens Berman represented a former regional vice president of Sound Physicians in this health care fraud case challenging widespread “upcoding” in support of health care fraud in U.S. ex rel. Thomas v. Sound Inpatient Physicians, Inc. (W.D. Wa.). This case resulted in a large settlement and award to our client.
We represent dozens of whistleblowers in confidential cases AND settled cases we will not disclose; cases identified only with client permission.
In one of the first successful SEC whistleblower cases, our whistleblower attorneys represented Haim Bodek, a leading algorithmic trading expert, in his complaint against BATS Global Inc. / Direct Edge Holdings challenging the unlawful preferential treatment it gave certain preferred high-frequency trading companies. Hagens Berman’s case resulted, in 2015, in the largest SEC fine ever imposed on a U.S. financial exchange. Mr. Bodek’s work was twice reported on the front page of The Wall Street Journal and he was rewarded for his work.
Our firm also represented a whistleblower behind the 2018 SEC action against the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) which resulted in a record-tying fine against the large financial exchange (tying the fine in the BATS action also triggered by our client).
In the most prominent CFTC whistleblower action since the program began, Hagens Berman represented the anonymous whistleblower who identified, through expert, proprietary analysis, a previously undetected cause of the 2011 market “Flash Crash,” resulting in the first ever Department of Justice prosecution and guilty plea following extradition of a foreign market manipulator. Our client will soon be awarded.
Hagens Berman represents the whistleblower responsible for the CFTC’s action against the largest privately held corporation in the United States, which agreed to pay an eight-figure civil penalty from the CFTC for providing inaccurate information on swaps and failures to supervise. Our client will be awarded.
Selecting a whistleblower attorney will have a significant impact on the outcome of your case.

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