The False Claims Act (FCA) permits private individuals to bring lawsuits in the name of the United States—called qui tam—against those they believe have defrauded the federal government: 31 U.S.C. § 3730(b). The FCA thereby...more
As we do every year, this issue revisits the key cases and other developments from the year gone by. And by most metrics, 2023 was a notable year for the False Claims Act (FCA). We start with the numbers: The Department...more
On July 25, 2023, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), introduced a bill that aims to, among other things, make it easier for the government to satisfy the False Claims Act’s materiality requirement when the government has...more
The United States recently intervened in a False Claims Act lawsuit accusing Rite Aid of defrauding federal healthcare programs by seeking reimbursement for opioids the pharmacy allegedly dispensed in violation of the...more
The Court unanimously held that a defendant’s subjective belief is relevant to scienter under the False Claims Act, even when a defendant’s conduct is consistent with an objectively reasonable interpretation of the law. ...more
On June 1, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in United States ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu Inc. reversing a pair of False Claims Act (FCA) cases on review from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. In...more
On June 1, 2023, the Supreme Court decided a pair of closely watched False Claims Act (FCA) cases, U.S. ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu Inc., No. 21-1326, and U.S. ex rel. Proctor v. Safeway, Inc., No. 22-111....more
On April 18, the Supreme Court heard oral argument and what has been billed as the most important False Claims Act (FCA) case in a decade. Since the FCA was enacted in the Civil War era, it has been the primary tool for the...more
The U.S. Supreme Court on April 18, 2023, heard oral arguments on a critical issue in False Claims Act (FCA) cases – the defendant's state of mind (i.e., scienter). The statute ascribes liability to anyone who "knowingly"...more
Oral arguments are scheduled for April 18, 2023, in the Supreme Court case combining two Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals cases U.S. ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu, Inc. (“SuperValu”) and U.S. ex rel. Thomas Proctor v. Safeway,...more
On January 13, 2023, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in a pair of consolidated cases from the Seventh Circuit that could result in one of the most consequential False Claims Act (FCA) decisions since the FCA was amended...more
In a September 2022 filing in U.S. ex rel. Osinek v. Kaiser Permanente, the Kaiser Permanente consortium defendants (Kaiser) highlighted the distinction between clinically inaccurate diagnoses (factual falsity) and clinically...more
Last week the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals offered defendants in False Claims Act cases based on Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) violations a significant new defense in its holding in United States ex rel. Cairns v....more
The False Claims Act, despite its name, does not define what it means for a claim to be “false” or “fraudulent.” This post examines the primary ways courts have interpreted the False Claims Act’s falsity element and discusses...more
The False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3729, et seq. is the federal government’s primary and most effective tool for fighting fraud. This post provides an overview of the elements that plaintiffs must satisfy to establish...more
On January 25, in United States ex rel. Sheldon v. Allergan, No. 20-2330 (4th Cir., Jan. 25, 2022), the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld a lower-court dismissal of a False Claims Act (FCA) case...more
The Situation: In March 2020, the Third and Ninth Circuits held, in two cases in which the government had declined to intervene, that a mere difference of medical opinion may be enough to satisfy the falsity element of the...more
In the 2020 COVID-19 year, there were not that many construction-related cases decided by the California Courts of Appeal, and none by the California Supreme Court. However, there were a number of interesting cases that raise...more
The large volume of relief funding distributed by the government in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic will be the source of enforcement and regulatory scrutiny for years to come. During this webinar – the first in a...more
The question of whether the False Claims Act (FCA) requires a showing of objective falsity will continue to divide the circuit courts following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to address the issue. To establish...more
On February 22, 2021, the United States Supreme Court declined to resolve a circuit split regarding the proper standard under which False Claims Act (“FCA”) claims in the medical context should be reviewed. See Care...more
It should surprise absolutely no one that “falsity” is a core element of the False Claims Act – it is the FALSE Claims Act, after all. However, it may come as a surprise that there is substantial disagreement over what...more
The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to address a circuit split regarding the standard for establishing that a statement material to a claim for payment is false under the False Claims Act (FCA); specifically, whether the...more
The Supreme Court of the United States declined to take up two circuit court decisions on whether “objective falsity” is a requirement for False Claims Act (FCA) liability. The two cases, United States v. Care Alternatives...more
Supreme Court Declines to Review Issue of “Objective Falsity” Under False Claims Act - On February 22, 2021, the United States Supreme Court denied petitions for certiorari in a case that could have addressed the issue of...more