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
On May 12, 2023, the Texas Senate passed House Bill 19. Once signed by Governor Greg Abbott, Texas will create a new specialized court that will alter how high-stakes business disputes are resolved....more
Health care industry participants frequently operate under nuanced legal frameworks that apply to the receipt of government funds. A breach of these regulations can open the door to draconian liability under the FCA even when...more
2/14/2022
/ False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Liability ,
Qui Tam ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Relators ,
Scienter ,
Statutory Interpretation
In July 2021, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill, S. 2428, entitled the False Claims Amendments Act of 2021 ("S. 2428"), which proposed substantive and procedural amendments to the False Claims Act ("FCA")....more
11/2/2021
/ Burden of Proof ,
Burden-Shifting ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Authority ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Materiality ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Qui Tam ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Relators ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies
A recent split decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit strengthens an argument many defendants of False Claims Act ("FCA") cases have been advancing for years: the violation of an ambiguous...more
8/23/2021
/ Enforcement Actions ,
False Billing ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Pharmacies ,
Qui Tam ,
Relators ,
Safeco ,
Statutory Requirements
The Situation: Late last year, a shareholder sued NorthWestern Corporation ("NWE") to compel the company to include a climate-change related proposal in its 2020 proxy materials after NWE had notified the staff of the...more
3/12/2020
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
New Guidance ,
No-Action Letters ,
No-Action Relief ,
No-Action Requests ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Rule 14a-8 ,
Rule 14a-8(i)(7) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholders
Climate Change Regulatory Issues & Updates -
Trump Administration Plans Overhaul of NEPA Review Process
The proposed rule changes would considerably limit the scope of environmental reviews of planned energy and...more
3/9/2020
/ Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Deregulation ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
NEPA ,
Power Purchase Agreements ,
Renewable Energy ,
Trump Administration
To paraphrase Mark Twain, the predictions of the False Claims Act's demise were greatly exaggerated. The United States Department of Justice ("DOJ") recently announced that it recovered more than $3 billion in settlements and...more
The Situation: Intensifying public interest in companies' Environmental, Social, and Governance ("ESG") information has prompted many to make voluntary ESG disclosures.
The Result: The Project for Growth and Opportunity...more
Whether on their own initiative or in response to pressure from regulators, consumers, or activist shareholders, many issuers are disclosing more and more about their environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") practices....more