Though American workers enjoy the protection of many laws, their lives and careers can still be damaged by pressure from above to commit illegal acts. Everyone has a right to speak out against these abuses without fear of punishment, and those that assert it are often justly rewarded. Whistleblowers perform a public service by upholding what is ethical and fair. They also assume great risk. Their cases can be grueling, the stakes are high and the opposition is never less than formidable.

At Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, we’ve earned our reputation as the premier advocate for the American whistleblower by winning such decisions for nearly 30 years. The laws at play are complex, but the reason for our success is not. In case after case, we’ve provided our clients with the legal expertise and grit to beat even the toughest foes in court. At KKC, we realize that standing up for the public interest often demands personal courage. We also know that whatever your job, you don’t leave behind your rights and duties as a citizen when you step in the workplace door.

Protecting Whistleblowers Who Expose Fraud Against the Government

Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto handles a wide range of False Claims Act qui tam cases on behalf of employees who have blown the whistle on fraud in government granting, grants and procurement. Successful cases include a $515 million fraud recovery against Bristol-Myers Squibb and numerous other cases resulting in fraud recoveries based on fraud against government agencies including the Department of Defense, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Education, Bullet Proof Vest Partnership Grant Act, Government Services Administration, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, and Medicare/Medicaid Fraud.  Other successful cases have resulted criminal prosecutions based on procurement/contracting fraud. 

Protecting Employees Who Expose Tax Fraud

Since the IRS whistleblower law was enacted in 2006, Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto has taken a leading role in litigating cases under this vital anti-fraud statute.  Currently Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto represents the largest tax whistleblower in United States history, Mr. Bradley Birkenfeld, whose documentation resulted in a $780 million dollar fine against UBS bank in Switzerland, billions of dollars in recoveries from U.S. citizens who held illegal offshore accounts at UBS and changes in tax treaties between the United States and Switzerland that forced Switzerland to turn over the names of Americans who held illegal secret accounts with UBS bank.

Protecting Employee Who Report Corporate Fraud

Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto’s partners took a lead role working with Congress to draft the whistleblower protection provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Act. In 2010-11, they led a successful effort to force the Security and Exchange Commission to enact powerful rules requiring the payment of financial rewards to employees who disclose violations of the SEC Act, Commodity Exchange Act and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Employees can now file anonymous whistleblower claims with either the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Commodities Futures Trading Commission and qualify for monetary rewards. 

Since achieving legislative and regulatory victories, Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto has filed major claims on behalf of anonymous whistleblowers the details of which must remain strictly confidential pursuant to law.

The SEC's Final Whistleblower Rules & Their Impact on Internal Compliance

 

Stopping Employer Retaliation Against Whistleblowers

Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto’s partners began defending whistleblowers against retaliation years before the enactment of the most important modern whistleblower laws such as the Whistleblower Protection Act, the False Claims Act (1986 amendments), the Dodd-Frank Act, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Our track record for protecting these whistleblowers, setting important national precedent and obtaining successful judgments is unparalleled. Victories and precedent included cases against Fannie Mae, the FBI, Arizona Public Service, Ashland Chemical Company, Morrison Knudsen Corp., EPA, Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, NIH, Grand Canyon University, Georgia Power Company, Halliburton/Brown & Root, Carolina Power & Light and many more which are listed in the Major Cases section. 

Firm Accomplishments and Recognition


KKC in the News 

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