WASHINGTON, DC, April 8, 2015 – Whistleblower attorneys Mary Louise Cohen, Erika A. Kelton and Colette Matzzie, partners at Phillips & Cohen LLP, were named to Lawdragon’s list of “500 Leading Lawyers in America” for 2014-2015 for their successful whistleblower cases.
Lawdragon called Cohen a “legend for creating [the] qui tam/whistleblower practice.” Most notably in recent years, a “qui tam” (whistleblower) lawsuit she brought against Quest Diagnostics resulted in the company paying the government $302 million to settle the case.
Kelton is “dominating,” notes Lawdragon, referring to the $32 million whistleblower award she secured for a client from the Securities and Exchange Commission this past year as well as two previous record-breaking recoveries from qui tam cases. The SEC whistleblower award is the largest one the SEC has made under the whistleblower reward program created by the Dodd-Frank Act. Kelton’s “qui tam” cases were major factors in government settlements with GlaxoSmithKline for $3 billion in 2012 and Pfizer Inc. for $2.3 billion in 2009.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Lawdragon has recognized Matzzie on the “500 Leading Lawyers in America” list. Lawdragon says Matzzie is a “brilliant advocate for whistleblowers,” pointing to her work on a $93.5 million qui tam case against Verizon that alleged the company overcharged the government for voice and data communications services. Matzzie also brought a successful qui tam action against Boehringer Ingelheim for alleged off-label marketing and kickbacks by the company.
Lawdragon has selected Phillips & Cohen attorneys for its “500 Leading Lawyers in America” list the past eight years in a row.