DOJ Will Clear Out Weak Qui Tam Cases

In a surprise announcement, the U.S. Justice Department says it will start moving to dismiss weak whistleblower cases brought under the False Claims Act rather than let them run their course. The announcement was made at a recent conference by the Director of Commercial Litigation for the Fraud Section of the Department’s Civil Division. I wasn’t at the conference, but this gentleman was, and he sheds light on the new policy.

Up to this point, the government has let whistleblowers litigate cases on their own even when it didn’t think they were any good. As we’ve explained before, the government always gets a first look at these cases. If it likes what it sees, it will take over the case and throw its weight behind it. If it doesn’t, it will decline to intervene but allow the case to proceed if the whistleblower (and his or her lawyers) is willing to do the work. Often, the government’s decision not to intervene will prompt whistleblowers to dismiss the case themselves. But now, it seems, the government will sometimes make that decision for them.