Thomas M. Greene

Practice areas

Personal Injury – General: Plaintiff, Employment & Labor: Employee, Employment Litigation: Plaintiff, Class Action/Mass Torts: Plaintiff, Personal Injury – Products: Plaintiff

Focus areas

Pharmaceutical, Retaliation, Whistleblower, Wrongful Death

Attorney Thomas M. Greene is a highly regarded trial lawyer with a national reputation, specializing in whistleblower litigation and intricate civil cases, including personal injury and consumer protection matters. Since 1992, Greene has advocated for qui tam whistleblowers in False Claims Act lawsuits across various industries. He has achieved notable success in cases related to defense, public utilities, customs duties, and different sectors of the healthcare industry.

Greene gained prominence in the legal community through his involvement in legal battles against the pharmaceutical sector. In 1996, he led pioneering litigation of the off-label promotion variety under the False Claims Act, a case against a major pharmaceutical manufacturer. This eight-year pursuit concluded in a settlement of $430 million in civil fines and criminal penalties in 2004, without government intervention. This case set a precedent, leading to the government recovering over $14 billion in subsequent off-label promotion cases—an amount constituting almost half of all funds recuperated under the 150-year-old law.

As the managing partner of Greene LLP, Thomas M. Greene supervises a six-attorney team known for their meticulous approach. The firm’s selective caseload allows them to allocate ample resources to achieving optimal outcomes both inside and outside the courtroom. Some of Greene’s standout accomplishments in litigation, involving the examination of millions of documents, include a 2010 civil RICO trial culminating in a $142 million jury verdict, a 2014 pharmaceutical class action settlement amounting to $325 million, and a 2015 False Claims Act settlement of $231 million with a drug testing laboratory.

In the realm of investigating and prosecuting fraud, Greene LLP’s extensive experience and expertise are hard to match. Their comprehensive understanding of the intricacies of the False Claims Act and its protections against retaliation is notable, having played a role in shaping this area of the law. A pivotal moment came in 2016 when the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Greene LLP in Universal Health Services v. United States ex rel. Escobar. This decision resolved discrepancies among the Circuit Courts of Appeal and established the validity of “implied certification” cases—instances where partial truths about goods and services constitute fraudulent actions against the government.

Greene’s notable contributions have garnered media attention, with features in prominent outlets such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, appearances on NBC’s “Dateline,” and National Public Radio. He is a frequent speaker on topics including the False Claims Act and other fraud-related litigations, often addressing committees within the United States House of Representatives.