Medical Device Legal News with Sam Bernstein: Episode 14
The Justice Insiders: FIFA Corruption Trial – Will the Feds Score Another Goal?
Rob DeConti on the Latest Guidance and Insights from the OIG at HHS
Walgreens Settles for $106.8 Million Over FCA Violations - On September 13, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and Walgreen Co. (collectively, Walgreens) agreed to pay $106.8...more
Three Connecticut dental practices, together with their owners, have agreed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut to pay $1.7 million to settle allegations that the practices violated federal and...more
Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program (“Pilot Program”), aimed at incentivizing whistleblowers to report potential criminal conduct. The announcement was anticipated, having been previewed in March 2024 by Deputy...more
Federal Court Permits Investors to Resume Kickback Suit Against Teva - After a two-year long stay, on August 30, Judge Karen S. Marston of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled that investors...more
On May 29, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG) announced a $12 million settlement with Innovasis Inc., a medical device manufacturer, and two of its senior executives...more
Former Congressman George Santos Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft - On August 19, former US Representative George Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. As part of the...more
In July, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Attorneys Offices announced several large False Claims Act (FCA) settlements stemming from qui tam whistleblower suits....more
DOJ Launches Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program - On August 1, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the details of its new Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program. According to the DOJ, the...more
Precision Lens Pays $12 Million to Resolve FCA and AKS Violations - Late last week, Precision Lens and the estate of its former principal agreed to pay $12 million to resolve allegations regarding violations of the False...more
Over the last decade, private equity firms have acquired healthcare companies, hospitals, and clinics at an increasing rate. In fact, in those ten years, private equity firms have spent roughly $1 trillion on an estimated...more
Welcome to the Summer 2024 issue of “FCA Enforcement & Compliance Digest,” our quarterly newsletter in which we compile essential updates on False Claims Act (FCA) enforcement trends, litigation, agency guidance, and...more
Federal Court Dismisses $680 Million FCA Suit - On July 23, a Maryland federal judge, Ellen L. Hollander, dismissed a $680 million False Claims Act (FCA) suit that was previously revived by the US Supreme Court. The suit...more
Texas Pharmaceutical Marketer Sentenced for $59 Million Medications Fraud Conspiracy - On July 12, Quintan Cockerell, a Texas pharmaceutical marketer, was sentenced to over two years in prison and ordered to pay more than...more
Halfway through 2024, the government’s False Claims Act (FCA) enforcement efforts show few signs of letting up. Last month alone, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced at least five eight-figure FCA settlements,...more
On June 27, 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action, which resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants for alleged participation in various health care...more
On 22 February 2024, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) published the statistics for federal civil fraud recoveries in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. The DOJ announced that the “government and whistleblowers were party to 543...more
False Claims Act (FCA) practitioners have been closely watching cases in which courts address the causation requirement in FCA actions based on Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) violations....more
Teva and DOJ May Reach Settlement in Closely Watched AKS Lawsuit - On June 16, Teva Pharmaceuticals filed a request with the First Circuit Court of Appeals seeking to hold in abeyance its interlocutory appeal concerning...more
Chicago Laboratory Owner Charged with Defrauding Medicare in $60 Million COVID-19 Test Kit Scheme - The Chicago-based owner of two laboratories, Zoom Labs Inc. and Western Labs Co., has been charged with health care fraud...more
Last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a $12 million settlement with spinal device manufacturer, Innovasis Inc. (Innovasis), and senior executives Brent Felix and Garth Felix related to allegations that they...more
In May, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices announced several significant False Claims Act (FCA) settlements resolving qui tam whistleblower lawsuits. Under the FCA’s qui tam provisions, a...more
On April 29, 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a $1.3 million settlement (Settlement) with a South Carolina clinical laboratory marketer and his marketing company, and three physicians and their medical...more
Florida Lab Owner Agrees to Pay Over $27 Million to Resolve Three Whistleblower Lawsuits - Daniel Hurt, the prior owner and operator of Fountain Health Services LLC, Verify Health, Landmark Diagnostics LLC, First Choice...more
In recent years, a circuit split among the United States Courts of Appeals has emerged over how courts have interpreted the False Claims Act’s (“FCA”) causation element in cases where a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute...more
Big Baby’s Big Foul: Former NBA Star Glen 'Big Baby' Davis Sentenced to 40 Months for Healthcare Fraud Scheme - On May 9, former Boston Celtics forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis was sentenced to 40 months in prison following...more