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As we take stock of the Supreme Court’s 2023 term, two landmark decisions shift our understanding of scienter and government intervention as it relates to the False Claims Act (“FCA”), 31 U.S.C. § 3729. First, on June 1,...more
On June 1, 2023, the Supreme Court unanimously held in two consolidated landmark cases, U.S. ex rel. Proctor v. Safeway Inc. and U.S. ex rel. Schutte et al. v. SuperValu Inc., that a defendant’s subjective beliefs must be...more
The U.S. Supreme Court’s October 2022 term was a blockbuster for the False Claims Act (FCA). The Court recently decided two cases poised to change the landscape of FCA cases in the lower courts: United States ex rel. Schutte...more
Two False Claims Act (“FCA”) cases have recently been decided by the United State Supreme Court, further clarifying one aspect of the FCA. In the recent decisions in U.S. ex rel Proctor v. Safeway, Inc. and U.S. ex rel....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 Supreme Court issued a number of headline-grabbing decisions this term on topics like religious accommodation, LGBTQ protections, and consideration of race in college admissions. These decisions are wide-reaching and...more
On June 1, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued its much-anticipated opinion in United States ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu Inc. and United States ex rel. Proctor v. Safeway, Inc. (Schutte), holding...more
The Supreme Court’s recent decision in United States ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu, Inc. clarified that the claimant’s knowledge and subjective beliefs, and not what an objectively reasonable person may have known or believed...more
On June 1, 2023, in U.S. ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu Inc., the Supreme Court clarified the state-of-mind (or “scienter”) standard under the False Claims Act (FCA), holding that a defendant’s subjective belief that a claim...more
Two separate lawsuits alleging False Claims Act (FCA) violations by retail drug pharmacies made their way to the Supreme Court of the United States this term. The lawsuits decided whether the pharmacies could defeat these...more
On June 1, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated decision in the consolidated cases United States ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu Inc. and United States ex rel. Proctor v. Safeway, Inc., Nos. 21-1326 &...more
The United States Supreme Court recently held that a defendant’s subjective belief is always relevant to the False Claims Act’s scienter element, regardless of what an objectively reasonable person may have believed. This...more
Leaves Window Open for Defense Based on Subjective Belief - On June 1, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in a consolidated appeal of two healthcare qui tam cases that removes a very powerful defense from...more
On June 1, 2023, in United States ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that the scienter requirement of a claim brought under the False Claims Act (FCA) is evaluated based on the...more
Parties litigating False Claims Act (FCA) cases have long struggled with a thorny question around the essential element of scienter (the defendant’s intent, or state of mind): What/how much does a contractor need to know when...more
Government contractors, health care providers and many other parties who submit claims for payment to the federal government are subject to liability under the False Claims Act (FCA). This month, the U.S. Supreme Court issued...more
Is subjective intent relevant to FCA claims? The Court answered yes, holding that FCA liability turns on what the defendant actually believed, not on what an objectively reasonable person may have believed. On June 1, 2023,...more
In a unanimous opinion issued on June 1, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States clarified the relevant standard for scienter — or knowledge — in False Claims Act (“FCA”) actions by ruling that an objectively reasonable...more
The False Claims Act imposes liability for false and fraudulent claims a defendant submitted with the requisite state of mind, or scienter. Before the Supreme Court handed down its June 1, 2023, decision in the combined...more
The U.S. Supreme Court recently announced its ruling in United States Ex Rel Schutte v. SuperValu Inc., a case that will impact how corporations will defend themselves in False Claims Act (“FCA”) litigation. In a win for the...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
The Supreme Court , in a unanimous decision, rejected a challenge by corporate pharmacy defendants, to the intent requirement in a Medicaid and Medicare over-billing False Claims Act case. Justice Clarence Thomas, who has...more
The U.S. Supreme Court clarified the standard for a defendant's state of mind in False Claims Act ("FCA") cases, holding that a defendant acts "knowingly"—which the FCA defines also to include deliberate ignorance and...more
The SuperValu case arose from separate lawsuits against two companies that operate retail drug pharmacies across the country: SuperValu Inc. and Safeway, Inc. In each case, a whistleblower – on behalf of the federal...more
A defendant’s knowledge of and subjective beliefs about the meaning of legal requirements—not what an objectively reasonable person may have believed—are what matters when determining whether a defendant “knowingly” submitted...more