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As we anticipated in our October 17, 2024, blog, both the Government and the Relator have appealed the district court’s decision in U.S. ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, LLC, et al. (Zafirov), the first case to...more
For over 160 years, the False Claims Act has let people bring claims on behalf of the U.S. government alleging fraud. In exchange, those individuals receive a portion of any recovery. In September, a federal district judge...more
A seismic shift in the world of False Claims Act (“FCA”) might have occurred recently in a Middle District of Florida courtroom. On September 30, 2024, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle issued her ruling in US ex rel Zafirov v....more
In a landmark decision, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, in United States ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, LLC, held that the False Claims Act’s (FCA) qui tam provision –...more
A recent Florida district court decision declared that the False Claims Act’s (FCA) qui tam provision violates the Constitution by vesting executive power in private whistleblowers (relators) that have not been appointed by...more
Mandatory disclosure obligations significantly changed for federal grant recipients, sub-recipients, and applicants on October 1, 2024. The amended federal regulation establishing these mandatory disclosures (2 C.F.R. §...more
Whenever there is a pot of money up for grabs, people will inevitably want more than their fair share. And when that money is doled out through government contracts, opportunities for fraud abound. The government can...more
A recent federal court decision has the potential to significantly impact the future of False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuits initiated by whistleblowers and to upend the FCA. In United States of America ex rel. Clarissa Zafirov v....more
On Sept. 30, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida declared the qui tam provisions of the federal False Claims Act unconstitutional. The Court, in United States Of America ex rel Clarissa Zafirov v....more
A tool long-favored by the plaintiffs' bar to extract big judgments and settlements from individuals and companies – the False Claims Act (FCA) – which allows individual whistleblowers to pursue alleged civil wrongdoers in...more
On September 30, 2024, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle held that the qui tam provision of the FCA violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution because False Claims Act (“FCA”) relators are acting as...more
On September 30, 2024, a federal district court in Florida held the qui tam enforcement provision of the False Claims Act (“FCA”), which permits private citizens to pursue actions in the name of and on behalf of the...more
In a first-of-its-kind ruling on 30 September 2024, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida held in United States ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Med. Assocs., LLC that the qui tam...more
The federal False Claims Act (“FCA”) is the United States’ primary civil tool for prosecuting fraud against the government. It was enacted in 1863 during the Civil War and, from its inception, has included qui tam provisions...more
In an eye-opening decision, a judge in the Middle District of Florida held that the unique whistleblower, or “qui tam,” provision of the federal False Claims Act (FCA) violates the Appointments Clause of Article II of the...more
The Zafirov decision finds that the False Claims Act qui tam provision violates Article II of the US Constitution. On September 30, 2024, in United States ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates LLC, Judge Kathryn...more
On September 30, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle held that the qui tam provision of the False Claims Act (FCA) violates the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution because FCA relators are acting as “officers of the U.S.”...more
On September 30, 2024, a federal judge for the Middle District of Florida issued a groundbreaking decision invalidating the qui tam provision of the False Claims Act (“FCA”) as unconstitutional because the relator (or...more
On September 30, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida issued an order dismissing a qui tam case under the False Claims Act (“FCA”) and holding the relator provisions of the FCA to be...more
On September 30, 2024, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida issued an order in United States ex rel. Clarissa Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, LLC, holding that the...more
A valuable tool in filing whistleblower claims against companies related to government fraud took a potentially major hit this week when a federal judge in Florida ruled that a significant portion of the statutory scheme...more
On September 30, 2024, Judge Kathryn Mizelle of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida dismissed United States, ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, LLC et al., a False Claims Act (FCA) case...more
In a groundbreaking opinion issued on September 30, 2024, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida dismissed a False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuit, holding that the qui tam...more
On September 30, 2024, US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the Middle District of Florida held in United States ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, LLC that the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act...more
On September 30, 2024, in U.S. ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates LLC, Judge Kathryn Mizelle in the Middle District of Florida dismissed a qui tam action under the False Claims Act (“FCA”) on the basis that the...more