Birmingham Whistleblower Attorney

If you have watched fraud against the federal government unfold inside an Alabama workplace — hospice patients billed to Medicare who were never eligible, physicians paid for referrals, defective devices sold to federal health programs — a whistleblower attorney in Birmingham can help you understand how the federal False Claims Act applies to what you have seen. Price Armstrong LLC is a plaintiff-side law firm that represents whistleblowers nationwide in federal False Claims Act matters, with a Birmingham office at 1919 Cahaba Rd, Birmingham, AL 35223. Case evaluations are free, confidential, and carry no obligation: call (888) 670-9542.

One fact shapes every whistleblower case that begins in Birmingham: Alabama has not enacted a false claims act of its own. No Alabama statute appears on the list of state false claims acts reviewed by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General under section 1909 of the Social Security Act — a list that includes Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, and more than twenty other states. For an Alabama whistleblower lawyer and client, that means the case is built under the federal False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729–3733, filed in federal district court, and governed by the federal reward and anti-retaliation provisions. That is precisely the kind of matter a nationwide federal qui tam practice handles from Birmingham.

Why Alabama Whistleblowers Proceed Under the Federal False Claims Act

Many states have passed their own false claims statutes covering fraud on state programs such as Medicaid, and the HHS Office of Inspector General reviews those laws to determine whether they qualify the state for a financial incentive under section 1909 of the Social Security Act. Alabama is not among the states whose laws appear on that list. A qui tam attorney in Alabama therefore looks to the federal statute, which offers several practical strengths:

• Federal court, federal procedure. Under 31 U.S.C. § 3732(a), an action under section 3730 may be brought in any judicial district in which the defendant can be found, resides, transacts business, or in which any act proscribed by section 3729 occurred. For conduct in the Birmingham area, that can mean the Northern District of Alabama, whose U.S. Attorney’s Office is based in Birmingham.
• Federal rewards. The statute’s qui tam provisions entitle a successful whistleblower (called a relator) to a share of the proceeds — at least 15 percent and up to 30 percent depending on whether the government intervenes, as described below.
• Nationwide reach. The federal False Claims Act covers false claims on federal programs wherever they occur. A Birmingham whistleblower whose employer operates in multiple states can address the federal-program fraud in one federal case.
• Anti-retaliation protection. Section 3730(h) provides relief for employees, contractors, and agents who face retaliation for lawful whistleblowing activity, enforceable in federal district court.

How the Federal False Claims Act Works

Under 31 U.S.C. § 3729(a), any person who knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval, or who knowingly makes or uses a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim, is liable to the United States for a civil penalty of not less than $5,000 and not more than $10,000, as adjusted by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act, plus 3 times the amount of damages the government sustains because of that person’s act.

The qui tam mechanism is set out in 31 U.S.C. § 3730(b). A private person may bring a civil action for a violation of section 3729 both for that person and for the United States, and the action is brought in the name of the government. The complaint is filed in camera and remains under seal for at least 60 days, and it is not served on the defendant until the court so orders. During the seal period the government investigates and decides whether to intervene and proceed with the action; it may seek extensions of the seal for good cause.

The reward provisions are in section 3730(d). If the government proceeds with the action, the relator is generally entitled to receive at least 15 percent but not more than 25 percent of the proceeds of the action or settlement of the claim, depending upon the extent to which the relator substantially contributed to the prosecution of the action. If the government does not proceed and the relator pursues the case, the statute provides for not less than 25 percent and not more than 30 percent of the proceeds, plus reasonable expenses, attorneys’ fees, and costs awarded against the defendant.

Section 3730(h) addresses retaliation. Any employee, contractor, or agent who is discharged, demoted, suspended, threatened, harassed, or in any other manner discriminated against because of lawful acts done in furtherance of a False Claims Act action, or other efforts to stop violations, is entitled to all relief necessary to be made whole. Under the statute that relief includes reinstatement with the same seniority status, 2 times the amount of back pay, interest on the back pay, and compensation for any special damages, including litigation costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees.

False Claims Act Enforcement in Alabama: Recent Examples

Federal False Claims Act enforcement is active in Alabama, and whistleblowers have been central to it. In February 2025, the Department of Justice announced that Saad Enterprises Inc., doing business as Saad Healthcare, agreed to pay $3 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting false claims for hospice patients in Alabama who were ineligible for the Medicare hospice benefit because they were not terminally ill. The settlement resolved allegations that between 2013 and 2020 the company submitted, or caused the submission of, false claims to Medicare for 21 ineligible patients. The qui tam suit was filed in the Southern District of Alabama by Melissa Wolff and Whitney Sims, two former Saad employees, and the Justice Department stated that they would receive $540,000 in connection with the settlement; it noted that the claims resolved are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability. Every False Claims Act matter is different; results depend on the specific facts of each case, and no similar outcome is implied.

Physician kickback and self-referral cases have also produced significant Alabama resolutions. In July 2014, the Justice Department announced that Mobile-based Infirmary Health System Inc., two affiliated clinics, and Diagnostic Physicians Group P.C. agreed to pay the United States $24.5 million to resolve a lawsuit alleging that they violated the False Claims Act by paying or receiving financial inducements in connection with claims to the Medicare program, implicating the Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute. That case was originally filed by Dr. Christian Heesch, a physician formerly employed by the group, and the Justice Department stated he would receive $4.41 million as his share of the settlement; the claims settled were allegations only, with no determination of liability. Every False Claims Act matter is different; results depend on the specific facts of each case, and no similar outcome is implied.

Birmingham itself is a center of this enforcement. In September 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama announced in Birmingham that medical device company Exactech Inc. agreed to pay $8 million to resolve allegations that it violated the federal False Claims Act by knowingly submitting or causing the submission of false claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and the Department of Veterans Affairs in connection with allegedly defective knee replacement devices. The settlement included qui tam claims brought by Brooks Wallace, Robert Farley, and Dr. Manuel Fuentes in United States ex rel. Wallace v. Exactech, Inc., No. 7:18-cv-1010 (N.D. Ala.), and it provides for those Alabama whistleblowers to receive a $1,329,360 share of the settlement amount; the claims resolved are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. Every False Claims Act matter is different; results depend on the specific facts of each case, and no similar outcome is implied.

These Alabama cases sit inside a much larger national program. The Justice Department reported that False Claims Act settlements and judgments exceeded $6.8 billion in fiscal year 2025 — the highest single-year amount in the statute’s history — with over $5.7 billion relating to matters involving the health care industry, and settlements and judgments exceeding $5.3 billion in qui tam suits. Whistleblowers filed 1,297 qui tam lawsuits that year, the highest number filed in a single year. Every False Claims Act matter is different; results depend on the specific facts of each case, and no similar outcome is implied.

What a Birmingham Whistleblower Attorney at Price Armstrong Does

Because Alabama whistleblower cases are federal cases, the work is federal from day one: evaluating whether the conduct fits the liability provisions of section 3729, assembling the written disclosure of material evidence that section 3730 requires be served on the government, filing the complaint under seal in the appropriate federal district, and working with the assigned government attorneys and agency investigators during the seal period. Price Armstrong handles this work as part of its qui tam practice, representing whistleblowers nationwide in federal False Claims Act matters and associating local counsel where required.

The schemes seen in Alabama enforcement actions mirror the national priorities the Justice Department has described: health care fraud against Medicare and Medicaid, kickbacks and improper physician financial relationships, and fraud in government procurement, loan, and grant programs. If you work in health care, government contracting, or any business that bills federal programs — in Birmingham or anywhere else in Alabama — the federal False Claims Act may reach what you have observed, and an Alabama whistleblower lawyer can evaluate it against the statute’s requirements.

Price Armstrong maintains offices at 1919 Cahaba Rd, Birmingham, AL 35223; 909 East Park Ave, Tallahassee, FL 32301; and 517 W Broad Ave, Albany, GA 31701. Consultations are confidential and free of charge.

If this looks familiar from your own workplace, you can discuss what you have seen with a Price Armstrong attorney confidentially and at no cost. Call (888) 670-9542 or use the secure evaluation form below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Alabama have its own state false claims act?

No Alabama false claims statute appears on the HHS Office of Inspector General’s list of state false claims acts reviewed under section 1909 of the Social Security Act, which catalogs the state laws reviewed for the federal Medicaid incentive. Alabama whistleblowers accordingly bring their cases under the federal False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729–3733, in federal court.

How much can a whistleblower receive in a federal qui tam case?

Under 31 U.S.C. § 3730(d), if the government proceeds with the action, the relator generally receives at least 15 percent but not more than 25 percent of the proceeds of the action or settlement of the claim, depending on the extent of the relator’s contribution. If the government does not proceed and the relator litigates the case, the share is not less than 25 percent and not more than 30 percent, plus reasonable expenses, attorneys’ fees, and costs. The Justice Department has described the typical relator share as ranging between 15% and 30% of the recovery.

Will my employer know right away that I filed a qui tam complaint?

Not at the outset. Under section 3730(b), the complaint is filed in camera, remains under seal for at least 60 days, and is not served on the defendant until the court so orders. The government may seek extensions for good cause while it investigates. The seal eventually lifts, so the timing of disclosure is something to plan with counsel from the start.

What happens if my employer retaliates against me?

Section 3730(h) provides that any employee, contractor, or agent who is discharged, demoted, suspended, threatened, harassed, or in any other manner discriminated against because of lawful acts in furtherance of a False Claims Act action, or other efforts to stop violations, is entitled to all relief necessary to be made whole — including reinstatement with the same seniority status, 2 times the amount of back pay, interest on the back pay, and compensation for any special damages, including litigation costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees.

Where would my case be filed in Alabama?

False Claims Act qui tam actions are filed in federal district court. Under 31 U.S.C. § 3732(a), the action may be brought in any judicial district in which the defendant can be found, resides, or transacts business, or in which any act proscribed by section 3729 occurred. Alabama enforcement actions have proceeded in the Northern District of Alabama, whose U.S. Attorney’s Office is based in Birmingham, and in the Southern District of Alabama in Mobile, among other courts.

Do I need a lawyer located in Birmingham to bring a federal whistleblower case?

Because these are federal cases, what matters most is counsel’s focus on federal False Claims Act litigation. Price Armstrong represents whistleblowers nationwide in federal False Claims Act matters and associates local counsel where required, and its Birmingham office at 1919 Cahaba Rd puts the firm in the same city as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama. A free, confidential case evaluation is available at (888) 670-9542.