How long can the government keep your property after lawfully seizing it? According to the D.C. Circuit in a recent decision, as long as the continued possession is still reasonable under the Fourth Amendment. This decision...more
The federal wire fraud statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1343, is one of the commonly used statutes in federal white-collar criminal cases. In our digital age, nearly any significant fraud or scheme could probably be charged as a wire...more
On Thursday, May 9, 2024, the Department of Justice announced the formation of a new task force to guide antitrust enforcement in the healthcare industry. The body, named the Task Force on Health Care Monopolies and Collusion...more
This past year, the False Claims Act (FCA) continued to be a key tool for the Justice Department and whistleblowers to bring suits against companies, including those in the financial services sector. The Justice Department...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
2/28/2024
/ Causation ,
Damages ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
Kickbacks ,
Materiality ,
Objective Falsity ,
Penalties ,
Qui Tam ,
Relators ,
Retaliation ,
Scienter ,
Settlement ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
Whistleblowers
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
6/20/2023
/ Drug Pricing ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
Healthcare ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacies ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Reasonable Interpretations ,
Safeco ,
Safeco Insurance Co of America v Burr ,
Scienter ,
SCOTUS ,
US ex rel Thomas Proctor v Safeway Inc ,
US ex rel Tracy Schutte et al v SuperValu Inc et al
Koninklijke Philips N.V., a global medical technology manufacturer, recently agreed to pay over $62 million to resolve a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement action with the Securities and Exchange Commission...more
6/8/2023
/ Books & Records ,
Bribery ,
China ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Internal Controls ,
Recidivism ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Settlement
On Wednesday, May 10, 2023, U.S. Rep. George Santos was charged in a 13-count federal indictment in the Eastern District of New York. Elected in 2022, Rep. Santos represents New York’s 3rd Congressional District, covering the...more
Genetic testing is a burgeoning area of preventative and predictive medicine. Such testing enables greater insight into a patient's unique genetic makeup and, in turn, more tailored and individualized medical decisions....more
The False Claims Act (FCA) continued to be a key tool in 2022 for the Justice Department and whistleblowers to bring suits against companies, including those in the financial services sector. While the focus stayed largely on...more
In 2022, the False Claims Act (FCA) continued to be the federal government’s chief tool for combatting fraud. Many trends in recent years were likewise present in 2022: robust FCA enforcement generally, healthcare as the...more
Continuing its focus on healthcare technology and electronic health records (EHR) companies, the Department of Justice announced last month a $45 million settlement to resolve a False Claims Act suit involving EHR provider...more
12/14/2022
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Influencers ,
Kickbacks ,
Physicians ,
Settlement ,
Technology ,
Vendors
The year 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the Bradley False Claims Act Year in Review. In that decade, much has remained the same in FCA enforcement. To start with the obvious: It continues to result in billions of dollars...more
2/3/2022
/ Alternate Remedy ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
CARES Act ,
Causation ,
Class Action ,
Cybersecurity ,
Damages ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Dismissals ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
Government Investigations ,
Healthcare ,
Local Coverage Determination (LCD) ,
Materiality ,
Overpayment ,
Pleading Standards ,
Public Disclosure Bar ,
Request for Equitable Adjustment ,
Scienter ,
Settlement
Like many industries, the health care industry has become increasingly digitized and reliant on technology. Technology advancements also have had a major effect on enforcement. In his comments to the Federal Bar Association...more
It is essential for employers that work with the federal government to stay up to date on the federal False Claims Act (“FCA”). In 2020, individual employees were front and center in the government’s enforcement of the FCA,...more
The False Claims Act (FCA) continues to be a primary tool for both the Justice Department and whistleblowers’ counsel to bring suits against companies in the financial services sector, and the nationwide pandemic did not halt...more
The False Claims Act (“FCA”) continued to serve as one of the primary tools utilized by the federal government against government contractors in 2020. One of the key areas that the government focused on this past year was...more
This year saw substantial activity in FCA settlements and litigated court cases. Although no single case or development dominated the discourse this year, several important court decisions were issued, including two that may...more
2/1/2021
/ Ambiguous ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Damages ,
Deficit Reduction ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Veterans Affairs ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Fee-Shifting ,
First-to-File ,
Fraud ,
Materiality ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Qualified Immunity ,
Reasonable Interpretations ,
Retaliation ,
Speaker Programs ,
Statute of Limitations
Last week, Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt delivered remarks to lawyers at an annual conference in Washington, D.C. While the remarks included the Justice Department’s annual boasting of significant...more
The year 2019 was another active year in False Claims Act (FCA) investigations and litigation. Although the year lacked a singular blockbuster case, there were decisions of particular note. The Supreme Court clarified the...more
1/23/2020
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Private Equity ,
Public Disclosure Bar ,
Qui Tam ,
Stark Law ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Whistleblowers
The year 2019 was another active year in False Claims Act (FCA) investigations and litigation. Although the year lacked a singular blockbuster case, there were decisions of particular note. The Supreme Court clarified the...more
1/20/2020
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Causation ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ,
Final Judgment ,
First-to-File ,
Government Investigations ,
Health Care Providers ,
Issue Preclusion ,
Materiality ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Objective Falsity ,
Overpayment ,
Pleading Standards ,
Public Disclosure Bar ,
Qui Tam ,
Sanctions ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Standing ,
Stark Law ,
Statute of Limitations
Resolving a circuit split, the United States Supreme Court in Cochise Consultancy, Inc. v. U.S. ex rel. Hunt held that False Claims Act (FCA) whistleblowers are able to take advantage of an expanded statute of limitations,...more
5/17/2019
/ Appeals ,
Cause of Action Accrual ,
Cochise Consultancy Inc v United States ex rel Hunt ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Government Officials ,
Intervenors ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Oral Argument ,
Qui Tam ,
Reaffirmation ,
Relators ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Split of Authority ,
Statute of Limitations
On April 30, 2019, the Department of Justice (DOJ), Criminal Division released a new guidance document intended to assist prosecutors in evaluating corporate compliance programs and guide corporations in creating them. The...more
5/9/2019
/ Best Practices ,
Chief Compliance Officers ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Culture ,
Corporate Liability ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
New Guidance ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Risk Assessment
Companies that work with the federal government (think Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, government contracts, grant funding) need to stay up to date on the False Claims Act (FCA). The FCA is one of the primary tools used...more
INTRODUCTION -
Unlike some recent years, 2018 was somewhat short on headline grabbing news related to the False Claims Act (FCA). There were, to be sure, significant developments in the courts and within the Department of...more
1/18/2019
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Dismissals ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
False Implied Certification Theory ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Qui Tam ,
Relators ,
Retaliation ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Universal Health Services Inc v United States ex rel Escobar ,
Whistleblowers ,
Yates Memorandum