False Claims Act: Implied Certification Theory
The Supreme Court’s 2016 decision in Universal Health Services, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Escobar resolved a Circuit split regarding the implied certification theory as a basis for False Claims Act (FCA) liability. While...more
In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Universal Health Services, Inc. v. U.S. ex rel. Escobar confirming the viability of the implied false certification theory in False Claims Act (FCA) cases and...more
The pace of False Claims Act (FCA) litigation remained furious over the past year. Companies (and individuals) in all sectors of the economy continue to face the ever-present threat of FCA enforcement whenever they do...more
INTRODUCTION - Unlike some recent years, 2018 was somewhat short on headline grabbing news related to the False Claims Act (FCA). There were, to be sure, significant developments in the courts and within the Department of...more
On August 24, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in U.S. ex rel. Scott Rose, et al., v. Stephens Inst., dba Acad. of Art Univ., affirmed the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California’s order...more
The Decision: A divided Sixth Circuit panel held that allegations of submitting late-signed supporting documents to Medicare could plead False Claims Act ("FCA") materiality and scienter. The Reasoning: Timing regulations...more
A United States District Court (Eastern District-Pennsylvania) (“Court”) addressed a qui tam action filed by Gary Cressman (“Cressman”) under the federal False Claims Act (“FCA”) in connection with an alleged environmental...more
After a federal judge denied its motion to dismiss the case, a Massachusetts mental health provider, formerly known as South Bay Mental Health Center, Inc. (South Bay), faces claims under the federal False Claims Act and the...more
The Situation: The False Claims Act imposes civil liability on any person or entity that "knowingly presents, or causes to be presented" to the U.S. government "a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval." The...more
There is a renewed focus on the government’s activities for purposes of the False Claims Act (FCA) materiality analysis and as demonstrated by a number of recently issued decisions, the roster of relevant government actors is...more
Government contractors continue to closely follow the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark False Claims Act decision in Universal Health v. U.S. ex rel Escobar. Most recently, in U.S. ex rel Harman v. Trinity...more
A court in the Southern District of New York (“SDNY” or the “Court”) recently released an important decision applying the Supreme Court’s landmark Escobar ruling to a qui tam action involving percentage fee arrangements for...more
The False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733, continues to pose unique liability risk for aerospace, defense, and government services (ADG) companies that directly or indirectly conduct business with the U.S. Government. In...more
Bass, Berry & Sims is pleased to announce the release of its fifth annual Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Review 2016. The Review, compiled by the firm’s Healthcare Fraud Task Force, is an industry-leading guide to healthcare...more
Last year, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decided Universal Health Services, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Escobar (Escobar), 136 S.Ct. 1989 (2016), creating important implications for Federal False Claims Act (FCA) cases...more
On June 16, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court in Universal Health Services, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Escobar1 (Escobar) unanimously upheld the implied certification theory of False Claims Act (FCA) liability and strengthened...more
On June 16, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the matter of Universal Health Services, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Escobar, 136 S. Ct. 1989 (2016), changing the legal landscape for False Claims Act qui tam claims...more
“Official Acts”—What They Are… and Are Not - Why it matters: On June 27, 2016, the Supreme Court decided McDonnell v. U.S., holding that, for purposes of the federal public corruption statutes, an “official act”...more
The Supreme Court’s decision in the closely watched case of Universal Health Services, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Escobar, decided on June 16, 2016, provides a long-awaited interpretation of the False Claims Act (“FCA”)...more
In a recent and highly anticipated opinion that will significantly affect healthcare providers and other government contractors, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the “implied false certification theory” is a...more
On June 16, 2016, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Universal Health Services, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Escobar upholding the “implied certification” theory of liability under the False Claims Act (“FCA”)...more
Health care providers beware – the United States Supreme Court may have just equipped federal authorities with another tool for pursuing false or fraudulent claims billed to Medicare or Medicaid under the False Claims Act...more
The U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision on June 16, 2016, in Universal Health Services v. United States ex rel. Escobar, No. 15-7, a case the government contractor and health care communities hoped the Court would use to...more
The Supreme Court has handed the Department of Justice and qui tam relators a bigger hammer to wield against government contractors with its opinion in Universal Health Services, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Escobar,...more
On June 16, 2016, a unanimous Supreme Court blessed the implied false certification theory of False Claims Act (FCA) liability, resolving a circuit split on the theory’s legitimacy. The Court held that implied certification...more