HomeSenator Kamala Harris Successfully Used Whistleblower Law to Hold Fraudsters Accountable When Serving as California Attorney General

Senator Kamala Harris Successfully Used Whistleblower Law to Hold Fraudsters Accountable When Serving as California Attorney General

Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris has the strongest record of any Presidential or Vice Presidential nominee in history of using the False Claims Act to fight fraud against the government.

While serving as Attorney General of the State of California, Harris successfully litigated the “largest recovery in the history of the [California] False Claims Act,” collecting $241 million in sanctions against Quest Diagnostics. Whistleblowers had exposed that Quest had made “illegal overcharges” in California’s “medical program for the poor.” In announcing the settlement, then-Attorney General Harris explained that the whistleblower case had targeted those who “illicitly” “lined private pockets” at the expense of a state medical program designed to “help the state’s neediest families.” Harris warned that fraudsters who “who try to cheat the state through false claims and illegal kickbacks should know that [Harris’] office is watching and will prosecute.”

The whistleblowers, in that case, obtained a reward of over $69 million.

Other whistleblower qui tam False Claims Act cases initiated or settled by Harris while she was Attorney General include:

$23,585,849 settlement with McKesson Corporation

$168.5 Million Settlement with K12 Inc.

$46 Million Settlement with GlaxoSmithKline

$52 Million Settlement with Abbott Laboratories

Stephen M. Kohn, a partner in the whistleblower law firm of Kohn, Kohn and Colapinto who also serves pro bono as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Whistleblower Center issued the following statement:

“Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris has the strongest record of supporting qui tam whistleblowers of any major party candidate ever nominated for President or Vice President. Her experience successfully using America’s most powerful whistleblower law sets a positive example for any public official seeking higher office.”

“Given the vital role whistleblowers play in detecting fraud, and the billions of dollars recovered by taxpayers in whistleblower qui tam cases filed under the False Claims Act, every candidate for public office should be questioned on their position on whistleblowing.”

“As a candidate for high public office, Harris’ record on using the State of California’s False Claims Act to recover monies from fraudsters, pay rewards to whistleblowers, and protect law’s integrity is historic. It sets a bar for future candidates for public office to prove that they stand for protecting taxpayers from waste, fraud, and abuse.”

“Whistleblowers have created an impressive record in protecting the public from fraud. This record includes recovering over $44 billion under the federal False Claims Act program, and additional billions collected under the SEC whistleblower program and the IRS whistleblower program. Every candidate for public office should be questioned about their position on whistleblowing and fully commit to protecting and expanding the current anti-fraud whistleblower laws.”

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Latest News & Insights

  • March 24, 2023

    On March 23, leading whistleblower attorney Stephen M. Kohn of Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto was a guest on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Kohn spoke about recent developments in whistleblowing including the December passage of the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Whistleblower Improvement Act and the troubling False Claims Act statistics ...

  • March 16, 2023

    On March 15, a bipartisan group of senators introduced the SEC Whistleblower Reform Act of 2023. The bill strengthens the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) highly successful whistleblower award program by addressing issues in the Dodd-Frank Act. “This is an important bill that needs to be quickly passed,” said leading whistleblower attorney Stephen M. ...

  • March 15, 2023

    This article originally appeared in JD Supra. From oustee to advocate, former FBI agent Jane Turner continues to uplift whistleblowers while sharing her personal story exposing widespread misconduct and cover-ups within the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Standing outside a Minneapolis courtroom 16 years ago, jurors hugged Turner with tears in their ...

  • March 15, 2023

    WhistleblowersUK is set to host their 1st annual Whistleblowing Awareness Week from Monday, March 20 through Friday, March 24. The event occurs in conjunction with the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Whistleblowing. Designed to bring together leading voices in the whistleblower sphere to advocate for more robust laws in the UK and beyond, ...

Subscribe for News & Resources

Receive exclusive updates and news from our firm.