False Claims Act defense attorneys like to say that whistleblowers are in it for the money.
False Claims Act plaintiffs’ attorneys like to downplay the money part.
Whistleblowers themselves just suffer.
Take the case of Jim Holzrichter.
CNN Radio correspondent Libby Lewis just posted a remarkable audio segment on Holzrichter’s case against Northrop.
But here’s what jumps out.
During the 17-year ordeal, Holzrichter and his family ended up homeless.
And someone tried to do harm to Holzrichter and his family.
Someone loosened the lug nuts on the right front tire of Holzrichter’s car.
The idea – Hozrichter drives away and the wheel falls off.
They did the same to his son’s car.
And to his daughter’s car.
Fortunately, no one was hurt.
Why would someone do such a thing?
Holzrichter was an internal auditor for Northrop Grumman’s Defense Systems Division in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.
He began noticing that new cables were being thrown out.
And then immediately reordered.
He then started seeing this type of thing happen in different parts of the company.
One thing led to another and in 1989, Holzrichter, along with fellow Northrop employee Rex A. Robinson, filed a qui tam suit against Northrop.
Initially, the Department of Justice declined to intervene.
Years later, they changed their mind, intervened and the case settled in 2005.
Northrop ended up paying $134 million.
The whistleblowers shared a $12.4 million bounty.
Holzrichter now mentors other whistleblowers.
“The ones who suffer are the whistleblowers,” Holzricther said. “The ones who are vilified are the whistleblowers. It’s hard for them to persevere.”