Contents

- False Claims Act ruling opens door to large damage awards... pages 1 - 2

- Supreme Court asked if state universities are exempt from liability under the False Claims Act... pages 2 - 4

- Employee whistleblower tips help Medicare Fraud Strike Force bring charges against Illinois hospice executive... pages 5 - 6

- Fourth Circuit: False Claims Act case cannot go forward on allegations of regulatory violations alone... pages 6 - 7.

Excerpt from "False Claims Act ruling opens door to large damage awards": A three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that an award of $24 million in penalties for violations of the False Claims Act did not violate the constitutional ban on excessive fines, even where the damages had not been proven and the total government payments at issue amounted to just over $3 million. This ruling may open the door to other large damage awards in similar cases, but its applicability has yet to be considered by other courts.