In the summer of 2023, Justice Thomas suggested in a dissenting opinion in U.S. ex rel. Polansky v. Executive Health Resources that Article II of the Constitution might not permit a qui tam relator to sue in the name of the...more
The Supreme Court’s decision in Wisconsin Bell v. United States ex rel. Todd Heath clarifies what constitutes a “claim” under the federal False Claims Act (FCA). ...more
Justice Kavanaugh issued a concurring opinion in Wisconsin Bell, which Justice Thomas joined, to question again whether the False Claims Act qui tam provision violates Article II of the US Constitution....more
Designed for busy in-house counsel and compliance professionals, this newsletter seeks to bring you up to speed on key federal and state False Claims Act (FCA) developments, with links to primary resources. Each quarter, we...more
The qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act allow individuals to file suit on behalf of the United States and to receive a share of the resulting financial settlement or judgment. Filing a qui tam case is not just a formal...more
In 2024, federal courts issued a number of important decisions in False Claims Act (FCA) cases that are particularly noteworthy for the health care and life sciences industries. We focus here on decisions that further develop...more
In October of 2024, the United States appealed the federal district court’s judgment in United States ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, LLC. In that case, the court held that the statute authorizing...more
Whistleblower programs are the gifts that keep giving to enforcement agencies, driving a record number of cases, sanctions and awards across multiple agencies. In this ninth installment of Season's Readings, we revisit some...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
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
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
This landmark decision, if upheld on appeal, has the potential to drastically reduce the number of False Claims Act actions brought against government contractors. A U.S. District Court in Florida held that the qui tam...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, 2024, Judge Mizelle, a federal judge in the Middle District of Florida, ruled that the False Claims Act’s (“FCA”) qui tam enforcement provision is unconstitutional, a ruling that, if followed by other courts,...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
A federal judge in Florida issued a ruling this week holding that the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act (FCA) are unconstitutional. In the lawsuit, a relator named Clarissa Zafirov accused the defendants of violating...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