Whistleblower lawyers Phillips & Cohen named one of the
“hot” law firms in nation
Only whistleblower law firm included in top 20 list

July 26, 2004 -- The National Law Journal has named Phillips & Cohen LLP, a law firm representing whistleblowers nationwide, one of the top 20 “hot” plaintiff’s litigation firms in the U.S.

The highly respected publication said Phillips & Cohen had done “exemplary work” in the past year and noted that all of the firms named have impressive track records that go back years, if not decades.

Phillips & Cohen is the only firm on the top 20 list that represents whistleblowers. The National Law Journal said the firm is “nationally recognized for its specialty practice representing whistleblowers in qui tam lawsuits brought under the False Claims Act.”

Qui tam lawsuits brought by Phillips & Cohen on behalf of whistleblowers have resulted in recoveries totaling more than $2 billion. The National Law Journal listed three qui tam cases brought by the firm that settled last year:

• HCA, the nation’s largest for-profit healthcare provider, paid $626 million as a result of two related qui tam lawsuits alleging Medicare fraud: $376 million to settle the whistleblower lawsuits plus $250 million to resolve administrative claims raised by the lawsuits.
• Northrop Grumman Corp. paid $111.2 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit alleging TRW, which it recently acquired, had padded bills submitted under space and technology contracts.
• Two physician practice groups affiliated with the University of Washington paid $35 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit that said they had overbilled Medicare and Medicaid for years.

Other recent successful whistleblower cases brought by Phillips & Cohen include:

• A qui tam lawsuit that was part of a $559 million settlement by TAP Pharmaceuticals in 2001. 
• A whistleblower case against major Wall Street investment banks that exposed a fraudulent practice in the municipal bond market known as Ayield-burning.” The banks paid more than $200 million to settle the lawsuit. 
• A qui tam lawsuit for Medicare fraud against Quorum Health Group, formerly the nation's largest hospital management group, which paid $85.7 million to settle. 

To see the article, “The Plaintiffs’ Hot List,” which appears in the July 26, 2004 issue, visit www.nlj.com (subscription required).