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Whistleblower Watch is a comprehensive source for all False Claims Act (FCA) news and information. Every quarter, Cozen O’Connor will provide in-house counsel and compliance professionals with a summary of the most notable...more
Last month in United States ex rel. Schutte, et al. v. SuperValu Inc. et al, the Supreme Court unanimously held (with Justice Thomas writing the opinion) that the False Claims Act’s (“FCA”) scienter element refers to a...more
The recent settlement of a False Claims Act case afforded SDNY Judge Ronnie Abrams the opportunity to address the standard for redacting a qui tam Relator’s FCA complaint. Judge Abrams decided that Relator Devin English had...more
The Supreme Court granted certiorari in a case that will decide two important questions under the False Claims Act (FCA). In United States ex rel. Polansky v. Executive Health Resources, Inc., the Relator asks the Court to...more
A recent split decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit strengthens an argument many defendants of False Claims Act ("FCA") cases have been advancing for years: the violation of an ambiguous...more
The Situation: A jury had originally handed down a large verdict in a False Claims Act ("FCA") case that resulted in $347 million judgment. The district court threw out that verdict, however, and the relators appealed. The...more
Two recent False Claims Act (FCA) settlements between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and transportation companies point to the continuation of a recent trend by the DOJ to use the FCA as a significant enforcement tool...more
• Reasonable disagreement among clinicians, by itself, does not result in a false claim. • Clinical judgment must be objectively false to constitute an FCA violation. • A clinical judgment may only be objectively false...more
The recent federal court opinion issued in United States ex rel. Integra Med Analytics, LLC v. Baylor Scott & White Health, et al, illustrates the continued importance of examining the plausibility of allegations made in qui...more
On June 26, 2019, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio granted a motion to dismiss a qui tam lawsuit against HCR ManorCare Inc. and its subsidiaries, including Heartland Hospice Services, LLC...more
The Northern District of Illinois is the latest court to grant a defendant’s motion to dismiss in a False Claims Act (FCA) case, after the relator failed to meet the substantial pleading burden established in the U.S. Supreme...more
Last week, the Second Circuit held that a False Claims Act relator does not have to plead details of specific alleged false billings or invoices to the government, as long as he can allege facts leading to a strong inference...more
Featured Unsealed Cases United States ex rel. Thomas v. Best Choice Home Health Care Agency, Inc., No. 2:13-cv-02209 (D. Kan.) - Complaint Filed: May 6, 2013 - Complaint Unsealed: October 24, 2016 - ...more
On February 14, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a long-awaited opinion in the case U.S. ex rel. Michaels v. Agape Senior Community, Inc. et al. (case number 15-2145 and 15-2147). In this FCA...more
Admissibility of statistical sampling to prove liability in FCA suit is fact dependent. In a February 14, 2017 decision, the Fourth Circuit declined to rule on the question of whether statistical sampling can be used to...more
After granting the relators’ petition for an interlocutory review of the district court’s rejection of the use of statistical sampling to establish FCA liability, the Fourth Circuit ultimately declined to reach that issue in...more
The Seventh Circuit says yes. Early this month, the Seventh Circuit reversed and remanded a district court’s holding that a qui tam Relator failed to properly plead a False Claims Act suit where the Complaint did not allege...more
Since our last issue, we have identified 31 recently unsealed health care-related whistleblower cases. In this Qui Tam Update, we analyze the trends and take an in-depth look at a few noteworthy cases....more
Last week, a jury in Alabama federal court sided with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and qui tam relators in the first part of a False Claims Act (FCA) case against AseraCare Inc., a provider of hospice and palliative care...more
Trends & Analysis - Since our last Qui Tam Update, we have identified 39 health-related False Claims Act (“FCA”) qui tam cases that have been unsealed. Of those cases...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit prevented a False Claims Act (“FCA”) relator from receiving a share of a $19 million settlement stemming from the defendant’s alleged false billing on a nuclear cleanup...more
New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman recently announced that his office had reached a $2.5 million settlement in a federal False Claims Act (FCA) case with Trinity HomeCare and its related entities. The case,...more
For 23 years, the Ninth Circuit required that a relator establish three elements to qualify as an “original source” under the False Claims Act: (1) the relator must have direct and independent knowledge of the information on...more
In prior years, sampling has been at issue in FCA cases largely in the context of damages. Specifically, where there were allegations of a specific course of wrongful conduct that allegedly impacted large volumes of claims,...more
The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced another multi-million dollar settlement of alleged False Claims Act violations on March 11, 2014. Specifically, Halifax Hospital Medical Center and Halifax Staffing, Inc. agreed to...more