What is a qui tam lawsuit? A qui tam lawsuit is a case brought, literally, by a private individual, on behalf of the government. The Federal Faults Claims Act and States Faults Claims Acts that are similar to that allow an individual to come forward and file a lawsuit as a private, what they call, relator. You are literally relating the information on behalf of the government, to the Department of Justice or State Attorney
General, against a defendant. One of the unique things about this body of law is that the whistle blower, or relator, doesn’t have to be personally harmed. They just have to have the information to relate, and they can bring that case on behalf of the federal government, or state government, against a fraud perpetrator that they know about and have evidence about.