After a lawsuit that began six years ago, a woman was rewarded $176,000 for her part in a health care whistleblower suit.

The suit, filed against Cochlear Americas, was picked up by the United States government in 2007, making the woman eligible for monetary compensation under the qui tam laws of the False Claims Act. The total settlement reached $880,000. Federal agencies involved included the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit of the US Attorney’s Office of the District of Colorado, and both the Office of Counsel to the Inspector General and Office of Investigations of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Cochlear Americas was charged with violating both the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Act by offering kickback money to doctors who would prescribe use of a Cochlear implant device for Medicare and Medicaid patients. The company was also under investigation for administrative civil monetary penalties by the federal government, which was one of the reasons the suit was stretched over so much time. The settlement in the case was announced June 9.

If you have information that could prove useful in a fraud suit against a corporation or contractor, you may be eligible to file for a whistleblower suit under the False Claims Act. Contact the Qui Tam lawyers of Tycko & Zavareei, LLP, by calling 202-973-0900 today.