Qui Tam Glossry

The False Claims Act – First enacted in 1863, designed to urge whistleblowers to come forward by giving them a portion of the money recovered. It was applicable to all government contractors, federal programs, and other circumstances involving the use of federal revenue. The False Claims Act was amended in 1943 and again in 1986 affecting the whistleblower’s share of recovery, the ease of bringing a lawsuit, and the increasing the punishment of defendants.

Lincoln Law – The Civil False Claims Act, enacted during the Civil War by Abraham Lincoln and a predecessor to modern qui tam legislation.

Mischarging – giving a false claim for products or services that were not produced or delivered

Product and Service Substitution – giving certification to a product that is faulty or does not meet specifications, or submitting one product to the government for approval and substituting it for a product of lesser quality on delivery

Qui Tam – Qui tam is an abbreviation from the Latin phrase “qui tam pro domino rege quam pro sic ipso in hoc parte sequitur”, meaning “who as well for the king as for himself sues in this matter”. A qui tam action allows private citizens to file a lawsuit in the name of the United States government charging fraud by contractors and others who receive or use government funds.

Relator – a whistleblower that files suit under the False Claims Act

State False Claims Act – False Claims Acts that are specific to individual states instead of the Federal act