- Business Disputes
The Sipos Firm has represented numerous clients with complex business disputes, including:
- Breach of Contract
- Breach of Fiduciary Duty
- Corporate Theft
- Minority Shareholder Rights
- Embezzlement
- Misappropriation of Trade Secret
- Misappropriation of Business Opportunity
- Fraud
- Dissolution of Corporate Entity
- Shareholder Dissolution
- Non-compete Agreements
- Personal Injury
The Sipos Firm has represented numerous clients in simple and complex personal injury actions, including:
- Auto Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Dog Bites
- Hunting Injuries
- Slip & Fall
- Assault & Battery
- Rape and Sexual Abuse
- Invasion of Privacy
- Unlawful Video
- Securities Fraud
The Sipos Firm has represented many clients in high profile cases involve securities and investment fraud. Click here to learn more.
- Employment & Wages
The Sipos Firm has represented clients in employment and wage disputes, including:
- Unpaid Wages
- Unpaid Overtime
- Wrongful Termination
- Sexual Harassment
- Discrimination based on Age, Race, Religion, National Origin, Gender
- Violation of Non-Compete Contracts
- Violation of Non-Solicitation Contracts
- Government Whistleblower
The Sipos Firm has represented several whistleblowers of government fraud, othewise known as Qui Tam actions, or claims arising under the False Claims Act. The law requires whistleblowers to hire a lawyer for such claims, which can easily be lost unless the claims are presented according to statutory requirements that must be followed precisely to ensure proper handling.
- Crime Victim Law
The Sipos Firm represents crime victims in civil lawsuits. Crime victims often feel disappointed by the criminal law system that is designed more to punish a criminal than to benefit a victim, but which often does neither. Crime victims can learn more about the powerful rights they have in the civil law system at our dedicated website: www.victimrecoverylaw.com
- Post-Bankruptcy Litigation
The Sipos Firm represents clients in specialized lawsuits, called adversary proceedings, that often follow bankruptcy. Once a debtor files bankruptcy, creditors often pursue adversary proceedings to establish the amount of debt they are owed or to exclude their debt altogether from a bankruptcy discharge.
- Real Estate Lawsuits
The Sipos Firm has represented clients in a broad range of disputes involving real estate transactions, including claims related to the enforceability of real estate purchase contracts, lease agreements, fraud in connection with such contracts, and situations where real estate agents breach their duties by placing their own interests ahead of their customers.
- Collections
The Sipos Firm has represented numerous clients in recovering debts owed to them by others. The goal of many civil lawsuits is to obtain a judgment, but often that’s the easy part. After a judgment is obtained, additional litigation might be required to find debtors’ assets and recover them through supplemental proceedings, garnishments, writs of execution, and other available legal remedies.
- Local Counsel
The Sipos Firm acts as local counsel for out-of-state attorneys who need to practice within the Utah state or federal courts.
The federal government rewards those who report government fraud, but only if they follow exacting procedures.
The federal government spent more than $3.5 trillion dollars in 2013 (about $11,150 per U.S. citizen) and annual expenditures are expected to increase in future years. Meanwhile, dishonest individuals and companies defraud the government by cheating on taxes or fraudulently invoicing the government for goods and services. With such staggering amounts, the government loses an enormous amount to fraud.
Government Reward Program. During the U.S. Civil War, the federal government enacted the False Claims Act to reduce fraud and abuse against the federal government. Because it was enacted by Abraham Lincoln, the law is sometimes referred to as the Lincoln Law. The law is also known by some as qui tam laws, in reference to the name of similar laws enacted in England during the middle ages.
Through the False Claims Act, the federal government pays large cash awards to people who report government fraud. Those who make such reports are called whistleblowers. In 2013, the federal government paid out more than $345 million in such cash awards. The U.S. Justice Department and members of Congress recognize whistleblowers as "courageous" and "brave" men and women who are willing to serve their nation by protecting it from those who are effectively theives and financial predators.
The amount of the award depends on various factors, including how information was presented to the government, and the involvement of the government, the whistleblower, and the whistleblower's attorney. Generally, the award is 15-30% of the amount recovered by the government; for a case where the government recovers $10 million, the whistleblower will likely earn a reward of $1.5 to $3 million. According to one report, the government awarded an average of $1.17 million to whistleblowers who reported fraud that the government pursued for recovery.
Qualifying for the award. Of course, there's a catch. In order to qualify for such rewards, a whistleblower must comply with tricky federal regulations and filing requirements. A failure to comply with all such requirements might result in the whistleblower losing the right to a reward; these requirements include filing documents under seal in federal court, keeping some information confidential, and reporting other information in a prescribed manner to multiple offices both locally and in Washington D.C. Another mandatory requirement is that the whistleblower must hire an experienced attorney to handle the process. Fortunately, the law allows whistleblowers to recover reasonable attorney fees.
Attorneys at the Sipos Law Firm have handled several claims under the False Claims Act and are often willing to handle such matters on a contingency basis, meaning the whistleblower pays nothing unless he or she receives a reward.
Examples of Government Fraud. The government pays individuals and private companies to provide all kinds of goods and services, from construction to catering to Medicare. Similarly, others individuals and companies request money from government programs such as the Small Business Administration, Cash-for-Clunkers, etc. If any person provides false information to the government to receive money unjustly, the government wants to know about it. General examples include:
- A doctor's office provides false information to Medicare about the services it provides or the patients it serves in order to qualify for Medicare payments.
- A construction company provides false information in a change order to receive additional payment from the government.
- A pharmaceutical company falsely certifies to the government that it has complied with regulations related to the sale of its products.
- A company misrepresents its qualifications to bid for a a special set aside contract. For example, it claims to be a minority-owned company when it is not; or it claims to be a small business when it is not.
- A manufacturing company falsely certifies that it has followed particular testing procedures when it has not.
