Shortly after the federal government announced a record $3 billion health care fraud deal with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline PLC, two whistleblowers involved in the case sued their former lawyers for alleged malpractice.

The whistleblowers, Gregory Thorpe and Blair Hamrick, accused Colorado-based firm Cross & Bennett of botching their claims against GlaxoSmithKline — costing the whistleblowers a greater cut of the award for disclosing wrongdoing.