False Claims Act

Goodin MacBride attorneys specialize in representing "whistleblowers," individuals who report fraud against the government. Our lawyers have successfully handled many cases involving health care, government contract, procurement, and other forms of financial fraud. They have done so both in private practice and while employed by the United States Department of Justice. As a result, our attorneys know how to investigate and put together a whistleblower case, and are intimately familiar with the process by which claims are evaluated, prosecuted and resolved.

• Successfully represented a whistleblower against an international aggregates company for underpaying royalties to the State of California owed for dredging sand from San Francisco Bay. The case was settled for $42.2 million, the second-largest settlement for the State under the California False Claims Act.
• Prevailed in action on behalf of two whistleblowers alleging that their former employer, a healthcare testing lab, defrauded Medicare by tricking doctors into ordering unnecessary lab tests. The case was settled for $10 million.
• Successfully prosecuted a False Claims Act case on behalf of various governmental entities, alleging that the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power charged them more than the law allowed. After trial, the court rendered a verdict of $224 million. The case was later resolved pending appeal for $160 million.