LA Dep’t. of Water & Power — Government Contract Fraud/Utility Overcharges ($224 million).

Four of our whistleblower attorneys led the representation of whistleblower Sam Barakat, as well as the County of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Unified School District, and other government agencies in a whistleblower action against the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The plaintiffs alleged that the DWP had overcharged these schools and other public agencies for electric power over a ten-year period of time. The case involved a ground-breaking legal theory that had never been tested in court. It also involved dissecting elaborate cost accounting to demonstrate government customers had been overcharged relative to the true cost of service. Following a two-month trial, a verdict was returned against the DWP for $224 million. See LA Times, UT San Diego, and National Law Journal for more.

Tagged in: FCA State, Financial and Investment Fraud, Government Procurement Fraud, Whistleblower Rewards,