![]() ![]() I am very pleased that we were able to help our client successfully pursue this whistleblower case. I think it also illustrates how a law firm’s diligence in investigating a whistleblower claim and preparing a thorough and detailed complaint can be very effective in convincing the government to investigate, intervene and ultimately resolve the case in a way that benefits both the government and the whistleblower. This settlement shows that successful whistleblower claims are not always the most obvious ones. This is one of a relatively few whistleblower cases brought against importers and retailers who attempt to get around mandatory duties that were put in place to help American manufacturers compete with government-subsidized Chinese companies. Most whistleblower cases involve false billing in the healthcare or government procurement industries. ![]() In some cases, the duty was over 200% of the value of the furniture. The anti-dumping duty that should have been paid for these furniture items was significant. ![]() She had discovered that big retail stores like Z Gallerie were able to import wooden bedroom furniture from China significantly cheaper by misclassifying the furniture as non-bedroom items. We filed this whistleblower complaint in 2013 on behalf of our client who was an online furniture retailer. In our complaint, we allege that Z Gallerie violated the False Claims Act by not paying required anti-dumping duties on wooden bedroom furniture imported from China. The case was unsealed because the government joined our complaint against Z Gallerie and agreed to a $15 million settlement to resolve our allegations against the company. Yesterday, Chief Judge Wood in the Southern District of Georgia unsealed whistleblower claims we filed against Z Gallerie, a large retailer with stores across the United States. ![]()
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