Whistleblower Law Collaborative is pleased to announce that Boston Magazine has named attorneys Suzanne Durrell, Linda Severin, David W. S. Lieberman, and Erica Blachman Hitchings as Top Whistleblower Lawyers of 2022. The December issue recognizing the honorees is available in print and online.
To compile its guide of the region’s best and brightest legal minds, Boston Magazine invited lawyers to nominate their peers. An advisory board of select lawyers then reviewed the top vote getters in each specialty.
We are proud to be recognized by Boston Magazine for the second year in a row,” said Whistleblower Law Collaborative’s co-founder Suzanne Durrell. “Our firm had an exceptional year in 2022 with successes resulting in total recoveries to for the government of over $325 million. These included a $234 million settlement with Mallinckrodt and an award of over $17 million to a whistleblower client by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the SEC Whistleblower Program.
Firm Attorneys Honored as 2022 Top Whistleblower Lawyers
- Suzanne E. Durrell – is a co-founder and managing member of the Whistleblower Law Collaborative. Ms. Durrell served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and as Deputy Chief, and then Chief, Civil Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston. Suzanne was instrumental in developing that Office’s renowned False Claims Act practice. While there, she prosecuted many notable FCA cases including several qui tam cases against National Medicare Care, Inc. (Fresenius), which resulted in a then record-breaking $486 million civil and criminal settlement. Since 2003, she has represented whistleblower clients including in several record-breaking cases such as settlements with Amgen, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, and Mylan. Recently, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly named Suzanne a Top Woman of Law. In addition, she has been recognized as a Best Lawyer in America for Qui Tam Law for 2023.
- Linda C. Severin – is a managing member of the Whistleblower Law Collaborative. Before joining the firm, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, was in private practice in Seattle doing white collar defense work, and worked in-house at a Fortune 100 corporation. This year, her whistleblower successes include the $234 million Mallinckrodt settlement and a $10 million settlement with BioReference Health.
- David W. S. Lieberman – has handled several major False Claims Act litigations. These include United States ex rel. Hendrix v. J-M Manufacturing Co., filed against the world’s largest municipal water pipe maker, and United States ex rel. Doe v. CleanSlate Centers. He prosecuted the CleanSlate case along with the Massachusetts Attorney General against a chain of opioid treatment centers. David’s recent whistleblower successes include settlements against CleanSlate Centers, Jewish Hospital, Cardinal Health, and Arthrex.
- Erica Blachman Hitchings – spent nine years investigating and litigating a wide range of False Claims Act cases at the Department of Justice. At DOJ, Erica was a member of a procurement fraud litigation team that recovered over $250 million for numerous technology and consulting companies. She also handled several healthcare fraud matters, including two cutting-edge Medicare Advantage fraud investigations. Since joining WLC in 2019, Erica has brought her government experience to bear in representing whistleblowers reporting fraud and suffering from retaliation in their employment. This includes a qui tam action against a Massachusetts-based fuel company that recovered $850,000 for the Commonwealth. Earlier this year, Erica was recognized as a 2023 Best Lawyer in America for Employment Law-Individuals.
Whistleblower Law Collaborative
Whistleblower Law Collaborative LLC, based in Boston, devotes its practice entirely to representing clients nationwide in bringing actions under the federal and state False Claims Acts and other whistleblower programs. Under the False Claims Act, a private citizen (known as a “relator”) who suspects or knows of fraud against the government can act as a whistleblower and file a sealed complaint on behalf of the government. Successful cases entitle the relator to a share of the government’s recovery. Among the firm’s many successes is a $234 million settlement earlier this year with Mallinckrodt under federal and state False Claims Acts for Medicaid rebate fraud.
For more information, contact the Whistleblower Law Collaborative at 617.366.2800.
