The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that settlement money paid to the plaintiff after the federal government adopted his qui tam suit under the federal False Claims Act was taxable compensation under Section 303 of Pennsylvania’s Tax Reform Code. The plaintiff filed a federal claim against Countrywide Mortgage, a subsidiary of Bank of America, over their lending practice. As a whistleblower, once the federal government adopted the case, he stood as a realtor and was entitled to a 16% share of the settlement. He received about $35 million. This ruling subjected the money to local taxes from his municipality and school district.
