Practice Areas & Specialty Clients

---

 The U.S. False Claims Act (FCA) is a federal statute that allows individuals, called “relators,” to file qui tam lawsuits on behalf of the government to recover funds that the government should not have paid to others.  Such claims are often against companies systematically overcharging government agencies for goods and services.  The FCA protects whistleblowers and financially rewards them up to 30% of the total amount recovered on behalf of the government. Many states also have false claims acts to recover funds paid by the state. 

False claims may occur due to fraudulent overbilling practices, shoddy goods, improper kickbacks or undelivered services. It can occur in any industry in which a federal or state government agency purchases goods or services.  This includes the health care/health insurance industry, military contracts and the financial services industry.   For example, these agencies include the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the General Services Administration (GSA), Medicare, Medicaid (state funds), the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS/TRICARE).

The decision to come forward as a whistleblower is not easy, but can be very lucrative for the whistleblower, patriotic, and satisfying. If you have questions about a potential claim, we encourage you to contact us for a consultation at no cost. We represent whistleblowers on a contingency basis, so you do not pay attorneys fees unless we recover for your claim. 

 Consumers can use the law to hold manufacturers, retailers and service companies (like banks or other financial institutions) accountable for deceptive business and marketing practices, defective products or failure to honor the terms of a warranty. Taking action as an individual against a large corporation typically is not economically feasible.  However, when consumers bring a class action lawsuit, a plaintiff can improve the chances of securing a favorable result for everyone by leveraging the risk of large-scale financial losses to bad actors.  Individuals across the country have relied on attorneys at Atlanta’s Evangelista Worley, LLC to assert their interests after they have been wronged. We represent class action plaintiffs on a contingency basis, which means that we only collect attorney fees if we secure compensation for your claim. 

The attorneys at Evangelista Worley, LLC have aggressively and skillfully represented investors financially harmed by securities fraud, corporate fraud, waste and ofiicer/director fiduciary breaches in federal and state courts throughout the U.S.  We have compiled an impressive record of success in a diverse array of lawsuits on behalf of investors, including securities class actions, shareholder derivative litigation and fiduciary class actions.  We typically represent plaintiffs on a contingency basis - we get paid only if we win.  

Evangelista Worley, LLC represents companies – large and small – in complex, high-value, business litigation.  Often, we can do so on a full or partial contingency basis.   We have represented small and large companies, as well as individuals, seeking to recover for breaches of contract, breaches of fiduciary duty, professional malpractice and fraud.  For example, we represented a $1.5 billion investment fund in financial fraud litigation against a prior borrower. In another matter, our client was sued by a former employee claiming that he was owed money as an equitable business partner. After uncovering that the plaintiff had embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the client over several years, we turned a defense case into a prosecution case so that the client achieved a large recovery with the claims against him withdrawn.

For companies that enter bankruptcy, a critical asset of the debtor’s estate can be a director and officer (D&O) liability policy or errors and omissions insurance. Middle-market bankruptcy estates may not have available cash resources to take the risk of paying hourly attorney fees to investigate and/or litigate potential D&O claims, particularly when the recovery is uncertain or the claim is risky to establish. Evangelista Worley, LLC provides a solution by representing bankruptcy trustees on a full or partial contingency basis.

Putting aside rote fraud driven by greed or unscrupulous practices, a typical scenario involves a company facing declining future business prospects. Entrenched senior management may conceal or misrepresent the truth to their directors and other corporate stakeholders. The reason is often to buy time to delay or avoid a reorganization or bankruptcy in which they would lose their jobs and equity value. Such actions can raise numerous potential legal claims by adversely affected parties such as equity investors, secured lenders and trade creditors.

To maximize trustee recoveries, it takes experience recognizing these fact patterns. It takes creativity and technique to develop core case evidence. And, it takes a successful litigation strategy to identify and apply leverage.  In cases where the firm’s attorneys have represented court-appointed liquidation trustees, recoveries were often obtained for the estate that well exceeded typical recoveries (as a percentage of the available insurance coverage and/or the total unsecured creditor claims) by suing the professional advisers involved – along with the officers and directors – and by splitting the claims into multiple actions. This enabled the respective trustees to recover nearly double the anticipated settlement amounts, had just a basic D&O claim been brought or had the claims been combined into single lawsuits. 

European companies operating, or just buying/selling goods and services, in the United States are often surprised by major differences between European and U.S. legal systems.  These differences often require completely different legal strategies when it comes to protecting your interests or pursuing your rights.  

We can provide advice and counseling to help you navigate the U.S. legal system and bring or defend business litigation on your behalf.