Whistleblower Eligibility for Non-Employees in New Jersey

No, you do not need to be an employee to blow the whistle in New Jersey. However, you must generally have ‘inside’ information about unlawful conduct not otherwise available to the public or law enforcement. Employees and independent contractors (1099s) are the most common whistleblowers, but any individual who provides the right people with valuable information can qualify for whistleblower protections and potential financial recovery.

If you have inside information about unlawful conduct, we can help. Our experienced whistleblower claims attorney, Peter Katz, understands your rights and can determine whether your disclosure qualifies for legal protections and potential financial recovery.

Defining ‘Whistleblowers’ Under Federal Law

Not everyone who comes forward with information about unlawful conduct qualifies as a whistleblower. However, specific laws financially incentivize ‘whistleblowers’ to come forward with critical information about fraud, waste, or illegal conduct impacting the government.

Laws such as the False Claims Act (FCA) allow ‘any person’ to bring a civil action on the government’s behalf – called a qui tam lawsuit – if they have information sufficient to show that a person or entity stole or misused government funds. This means you do not need to be an employee to blow the whistle.

Common Non-Employee Whistleblowers in New Jersey

Most non-employee whistleblowers fall into the following categories:

• Patients and Healthcare Professionals: During the treatment process, patients and other healthcare providers often discover evidence of systemic healthcare billing fraud by different providers.
• Former Employees: You can still file a whistleblower claim after termination, even if the termination or resignation was unrelated to your concerns.
• Friends and Family: In some cases, close friends and family members with inside information about government fraud can work with a lawyer to file a whistleblower claim to protect themselves from conspiracy charges.
• Contractors: Independent contractors and subcontractors who uncover unlawful conduct can file whistleblower complaints and lawsuits.
• Competitors: Industry competitors – often government contractors – can more clearly call out potential fraud during the bidding process.
• Clients: Financial clients and their family members often identify fraud under Dodd-Frank or related securities laws.

If you’re not a current employee, you can still confidentially speak with a qualified NJ whistleblower attorney about your potential claims.

Filling Qui Tam Whistleblower Lawsuits

Many federal whistleblower laws permit private citizens to file litigation on the government’s behalf. These ‘qui tam’ lawsuits allow the initial whistleblower –only one whistleblower lawsuit is generally permitted– to take a percentage of the government’s overall financial recovery. If the government takes over the litigation, the whistleblower can receive between 10 and 25% of the overall recovery. This increases to 30% if the government trusts a successful private whistleblower attorney to handle the litigation.

Experienced Whistleblower Lawyer in New Jersey

If you suspect a person or entity of committing securities, healthcare, or government contract fraud, you can have the right to blow the whistle. You do not need to be an employee to file a qui tam lawsuit, but you do need to provide the government with valuable inside information about the fraud.

Since the government began permitting private whistleblowers to expose unlawful conduct, claimants have recovered over $7 billion. Confidentially call the Law Offices of Peter Katz at (609) 849-3179 or connect with us online to schedule a free and confidential NJ whistleblower consultation.