Whistleblower / False Claims Act

Fraud against the government in higher education is rampant. Successful lawsuits under the False Claims Act have led to significant recoveries for students and for the government. Lieff Cabraser obtained a record False Claim settlement against the University of Phoenix in a case that charged that Phoenix had violated the Higher Education Act by providing improper incentive pay to its recruiters. High student loan default rates not only result in wasted federal funds, but the students who receive these loans and then default are burdened for years with tremendous debt without the benefit of a college degree.

In addition to cases against schools that pay recruiters for enrolling students, other government fraud lawsuits in higher education have included actions against schools that encourage students to falsify academic credentials to get federal funding. Schools have been sued for practices geared to arbitrarily increasing student fees, including penalty fees for missed classes and schedules designed to make course completion so difficult that many students are forced to retake and re-pay for credits. Still other schools have faced lawsuits for inflating course costs and for wildly exaggerating graduate placement rates and thus degree value.

Lieff Cabraser represents individuals exposing fraud against the government in a wide range of federal False Claims Act and other government fraud cases. We have the resources, experience, and skill to appropriately investigate even the largest and most complex matters and take them all the way through trial. Learn more about our work in helping individuals stop fraud that cheats the government and obtain significant recoveries.