United States ex rel. Pedicone v. Mazak Corp. (S.D. Ohio)
Fred Pedicone's "Buy America" case brought claims against Japanese manufacturer Mazak, alleging that sophisticated Japanese computer-controlled machine tools were unlawfully sold to the Government in violation of law, falsely claiming that they were "Made in the USA." The leading news program of the day- "60 Minutes"-chronicled the Pedicone story and the challenges of this case--in which the Department of Justice declined to intervene. Relator nonetheless persevered, winning the largest settlement that had then been obtained in a case in which the Government failed to assist--$ 2.39 million.
As stated by Federal Judge Beckwith approving a settlement and awarding Fred Pedicone a maximum 30%relator share:
"The Court finds that the qui tam Plaintiff has pursued this action at considerable personal and professional expense to himself. An award of 30 percent of the settlement would encourage other potential whistleblowers to take risks similar to those taken by the qui tam Plaintiff in this matter to expose fraud against the United States. Accordingly, the Court finds an award of the full statutory amount of 30 percent of the settlement to be appropriate in this matter.”
06/04/2014