False Claims Act Insights - Are the FCA’s Qui Tam Provisions Unconstitutional? One Federal Judge Says “Yes"
False Claims Act Insights - Assessing the Fallout from a Thermonuclear FCA Verdict
FCA Uncovered: Mitigating Risk in the Regulatory Spotlight — Regulatory Oversight Podcast
False Claims Act Insights - Think You Know Whistleblowers? Think Again.
Fraud and Abuse Enforcement Priorities in the Wake of COVID-19 - Diagnosing Health Care Podcast
It has long been the law of the Eleventh Circuit that, under the False Claims Act (FCA) and Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b), a relator must provide sufficient “indicia of reliability … to support the allegation of an...more
One day after President Donald Trump's inauguration, on January 21, Trump issued Executive Order 14173, titled "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity" (EO 14173). In the text of EO 14173, Trump...more
On Feb. 18, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit adopted the “but for” causality standard for violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) that give rise to violations of the federal False Claims Act...more
In a much-anticipated decision, the First Circuit unanimously ruled the government and relators must prove that a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) was the “but-for” cause of a false claim under the False...more
In United States ex rel. Feliciano v. Ardoin, the D.C. Circuit joined every other circuit to consider the issue, holding that a pro se litigant cannot bring a False Claims Act (FCA) case. The court’s reasoning was...more
In Wisconsin Bell, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Heath, the Supreme Court clarified the definition of “claim” under the FCA. The case resolves a split between the Fifth and Seventh Circuits on whether a request for...more
Without Congressional action, the authority of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) will sunset on March 27, 2025. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted in March...more
This is the fifth in our 2025 Year in Preview series examining important trends in white collar law and investigations in the coming year. We will be posting further installments in the series throughout the next several...more
The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Criminal Division launched its Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program (“Criminal Whistleblower Program”) in August of 2024 to encourage tips for various types of fraud, including...more
Over the last 15 years, private equity (“PE”) firms have invested hundreds of billions of dollars in the healthcare sector, infiltrating every corner of the industry from emergency rooms and labs to billing providers and...more
Whistleblowers filed 979 qui tam lawsuits under the False Claims Act (FCA) in Fiscal Year 2024—the highest number in a single year and 35% more than in the prior year—the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced. Overall,...more
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
On January 15, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released its annual report on civil fraud recoveries for FY2024 along with a press release highlighting DOJ’s civil enforcement efforts....more
When I started practicing law in 1981, I focused on labor and employment law. My practice involved management and union matters such as unfair labor practice charges and breaches of collective bargaining agreements. As a...more
In a significant ruling, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently expanded the scope of the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS).The Court joined other circuit courts across the country in adopting, for the first time, the...more
There was a noteworthy False Claims Act (FCA) settlement made public yesterday out of the Eastern District of California involving Oroville Hospital. The government accused the Hospital of submitting false claims to Medicare...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
President-elect Trump has repeatedly stated that he will increase tariffs. While it is unclear to what extent, while campaigning he proposed a 10% to 20% tariff on all imports and an additional 60% or more on goods from...more
A recent decision by a federal court in the Eastern District of New York illustrates how directors and officers (“D&O”) policies can provide valuable insurance coverage for defense costs and potential liabilities arising from...more
Perfection is often an admirable goal, but rarely achieved. However, in the current environment, failure to collect, report and remit your taxes perfectly, particularly in the sales and use tax arena, can leave a taxpayer...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
Just how broad is the scope of the False Claims Act (FCA)? That is the basic question posed in Wisconsin Bell, Inc. v. U.S. ex rel. Heath, No. 23-1127. Put more directly, the case addresses whether reimbursement requests...more