Tag: retaliation

CVS WHISTLEBLOWER SUIT SETTLED FOR $36.7 MILLION

On March 18, 2007, CVS agreed to pay $36.7 million as a result of allegations that the company improperly switched patients from the tablet version of the prescription drug Zantak to a more expensive version in order to increase Medicaid reimbursement. The fraud was brought to light by a Bernard Listiza, a pharmacist in Washington, DC. Following extensive negotiations between the US Attorney”s Office and CVS, CVS agreed to pay $36.7 million for defrauding the government. The United States” share of the settlement was approximately $21.1 million, with 23 states and the District of Columbia sharing $15.6 million. More importantly, the pharmacist, Mr. Listiza, received $4,309,330.74 as his share of the settlement.

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Whistleblower Protection

Whistleblower Lawsuits For 2005 Total $1.1 Billion in Settlements

The Federal Government issued a report stating that in 2005 alone, whistleblower lawsuits resulted in a recovery of 1.1 billion dollars to the United States Government. The actual whistleblowers that brought these claims to light were awarded $166 million dollars for their involvement.

One of the largest cases from 2005 involved a whistleblower that discovered Medicare had made $21.7 billion in improper payments to doctors, hospitals and insurers in 2004. After the government recouped the money, the whistleblower was awarded over a billion dollars in compensation.

Similarly, in March 2005, a whistleblower that had previously worked for defense contractor Northorp, was awarded $12.4 million after the company settled their $1.33 million lawsuit for overcharges to the Pentagon for massive fraud and over-billing.

For further information on whistleblower lawsuits, click on the following link:

NJ Employment Lawyer: Whistleblower Retaliation and Lawsuit Information