Civil Remedies › Government Contracting

PEMEX Files Suit to Recover $160 Million in Bribery Case

Mexican state oil company Pemex has filed a lawsuit in New York seeking to recover nearly $160 million from Germany's Siemens and South Korea's SK Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. in a global bribery case, a law firm...more

Three California Contractors Fined a Total of $1.8 Million For Willful Violation of CA Wage, Apprenticeship Laws

As reported in the Bloomberg BNA Daily Labor Report, three contractors were found by the California Labor Commissioner to have “willfully” violated state wage and apprenticeship laws. The contractors were ordered to pay over...more

Federal Construction Contractors Beware: OFCCP Wants You!

Even though the Office of Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has not yet promulgated its promised revised construction contractor regulations, the agency sent the construction contracting community a clear enforcement...more

Wartime Suspension Of Limitations Act Suspends Statute Of Limitations In False Claims Act Cases

The False Claims Act (FCA), which allows both the government and whistleblowers to seek treble damages for claims of civil fraud on the United States, is a powerful tool. In the past two years, the government has aggressively...more

OIG Issues Revised Provider Self-Disclosure Protocol

On April 17, 2013, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revised its Provider Self-Disclosure Protocol (SDP), originally published in 1998, and updated in...more

CMS Proposes to Increase Awards for Non-Qui Tam Whistleblowers

CMS wants to change the way that it rewards non-qui tam whistleblowers who report alleged fraudulent or unlawful conduct related to Medicare or Medicaid. Using an IRS program as a model, CMS recently proposed rule changes to...more

Casting a Smaller Net: Seventh Circuit Requires "Net Trebling" Under FCA – Potentially Impacting Settlement Dynamics for all...

The Seventh Circuit recently ruled that under the False Claims Act (“FCA”) treble damages should be calculated by the net amount of loss suffered by the government (after appropriate setoffs or credits are deducted) rather...more

Courts of Appeals Continue to Limit the Government’s Aggressive False Claims Act Theories

This spring saw two significant victories for health care providers in the federal courts of appeals. In both cases, the courts rejected an aggressive government theory under the False Claims Act (FCA), the first related to...more

Recent Multi-Million Dollar Whistleblower Jury Awards — A Wake-Up Call For Employers

In what might be an unsettling trend for employers, juries in Philadelphia and Anchorage have recently issued multi-million dollar jury awards in favor of whistleblowers. Specifically, on March 22, 2013, a Philadelphia Common...more

Supreme Court Clarifies Jurisdiction Over Claims Arising Under Procurement Code

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently confirmed the absolute right of Commonwealth agencies to withdraw solicitations for contracts, as well as the exclusive jurisdiction of the Board of Claims to hear disputes with the...more

Seven Tips to Protect Your Facility from a False Claims Act Lawsuit

The False Claims Act is a federal law that imposes liability on persons and companies who make false claims for payment to the federal government. Many states have similar laws. The Act encourages whistleblowers to file suit...more

Fourth Circuit Holds FCA Statute Of Limitations Tolled By Wartime Suspension Of Limitations Act

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently held that the False Claims Act’s (FCA) statute of limitations can be tolled by the Wartime Suspension of Limitations Act (WSLA) in civil qui tam actions in which the...more

Court of Appeals Rules for Government in DSH Exhausted Benefit Day Appeal

For the last several years, hospitals and the government have fought hard over where days associated with certain “dual eligible” patients should be placed in the Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) calculation. At...more

HEALTH REFORM: OIG Issues Updated Guidelines for Evaluating State False Claims Acts: Is More State Litigation on the Horizon?

On March 15, 2013, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) released the Updated OIG Guidelines for Evaluating State False Claims Acts (“2013 Guidelines”), which replaces the...more

Seventh Circuit Adopts “Net Trebling” Damage Calculation In False Claims Act Case

On March 21, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held that damages awarded in a False Claims Act case should have been calculated using a “net trebling” method. United States v. Anchor Mortgage Corp., No....more

Retaliation and Whistleblower Claims by In-House Counsel

In This Issue: - Whistleblower protections and in-House Counsel - Sarbanes-oxley - The Dodd-Frank Act - The False Claims Act - Common Law Wrongful Discharge Claims - The Ethical...more

Over-the-Cliff: Advice to Contractors Facing Sequestration

Automatic spending cuts caused by “sequestration” went into effect on March 1, 2013, after the federal Government could not avoid or further delay sequestration as Congress and the President had agreed during January of 2013....more

Key Takeaways for Companies to Consider When Doing Government-Contract Work

Key takeaways for companies to consider when doing government-contract work - Brownstein’s litigation team scored a major victory for client Flintco, a New Mexico-based contractor, in one of New Mexico’s first trials...more

Worthless Services: Giving Nothing Can Cost You a Lot Under the False Claims Act

Numerous courts have recognized that knowingly billing the federal government for “worthless services” may be a violation of the False Claims Act (FCA). Recently, an Illinois nursing home learned how costly worthless services...more

Illinois Jury Found Nursing Home Liable For $28.1 Million In Whistleblower Case Alleging Substandard Care And Resident Abuse

An Illinois district court jury in United States v. Momence Meadows Nursing Center, Inc. recently issued a verdict on February 11, 2013 imposing $28.1 million in civil penalties on the operators of a nursing home. The nursing...more

Jury Awards $960,000 In First Trial Under New Mexico Whistleblower Law

On January 18, 2013, a former New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) employee prevailed in the first case to reach trial under the state’s Whistleblower Protection Act (NMWPA)....more

DOJ Recovers Up To $48 Million in False Claim Act Case Resulting From Whistleblower Report

In yet another large recovery for the DOJ, on December 6, 2012, DFB Pharmaceuticals, and its subsidiary, Healthpoint Ltd., agreed as part of a settlement to pay up to $48 million to resolve allegations that Healthpoint caused...more

Shell E & P Ireland Ltd v McGrath & ors

Judgement in Shell E & P Ireland Ltd v McGrath & ors

2.1 Shell issued proceedings against the six named defendants on the 4th March, 2005 with a statement of claim being delivered on the 18th April. Damages were sought together with various orders restraining the defendants...more

Ohio Hospital and Heart Center to Pay $4.4 Million to Resolve FCA Allegations

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced that EMH Regional Medical Center (EMH), a non-profit community hospital system located in Lorain County, Ohio, and North Ohio Heart Center, Inc. (NOHC),...more

Qui Tam Case Study: Dismissal Based On Whistleblower’s Lack Of Standing

Qui tam lawsuits — cases brought by private whistleblowers on behalf of the government — represent a growing risk for businesses that contract with the government or make claims as part of a government program, such as...more