This is the eighth in our 2024 Year in Preview series examining important trends in white collar law and investigations in the coming year... It is not often that we can say that a federal fraud statute had a blockbuster...more
Summer 2023- Whistleblower Watch is a comprehensive source for all False Claims Act (FCA) news and information. Every quarter, Cozen O’Connor will provide in-house counsel and compliance professionals with a summary of the...more
On June 1, 2023, the Supreme Court unanimously held in two consolidated landmark cases, U.S. ex rel. Proctor v. Safeway Inc. and U.S. ex rel. Schutte et al. v. SuperValu Inc., that a defendant’s subjective beliefs must be...more
The Federal False Claims Act (“FCA”) allows private parties to bring lawsuits in the name of the federal government against defendants who allegedly “knowingly” present a false claim to the government for payment. The...more
A recent decision by the Supreme Court clarified the required intent for a defendant to be held liable under the False Claims Act. According to the Court, the FCA’s scienter requirement refers to a defendant’s knowledge and...more
Two False Claims Act (“FCA”) cases have recently been decided by the United State Supreme Court, further clarifying one aspect of the FCA. In the recent decisions in U.S. ex rel Proctor v. Safeway, Inc. and U.S. ex rel....more
New FCA Filings Point to Future Path Forward For Companies - The US Supreme Court recently ruled in United States ex rel. Proctor v. Safeway Inc. and United States ex rel. Schutte, et al. v. SuperValu Inc. et al. that...more
In its recent unanimous and significant decision in the consolidated cases of United States ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu, No. 21-1326 (6-1-23), and United States ex rel. Proctol v. Safeway, Inc., No. 22-111 (6-1-23), the...more
The Supreme Court issued a number of headline-grabbing decisions this term on topics like religious accommodation, LGBTQ protections, and consideration of race in college admissions. These decisions are wide-reaching and...more
On June 1, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued its much-anticipated opinion in United States ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu Inc. and United States ex rel. Proctor v. Safeway, Inc. (Schutte), holding...more
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
In a resounding unanimous 9-0 decision, the Supreme Court rejected the argument that a defendant’s subjective belief is irrelevant under the False Claims Act (FCA) when evaluating whether a defendant “knowingly” submitted a...more
Two separate lawsuits alleging False Claims Act (FCA) violations by retail drug pharmacies made their way to the Supreme Court of the United States this term. The lawsuits decided whether the pharmacies could defeat these...more
On June 1, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated decision in the consolidated cases United States ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu Inc. and United States ex rel. Proctor v. Safeway, Inc., Nos. 21-1326 &...more
The United States Supreme Court recently held that a defendant’s subjective belief is always relevant to the False Claims Act’s scienter element, regardless of what an objectively reasonable person may have believed. This...more
Two important decisions, one by the United States Supreme Court and one by the General Counsel for the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”), were issued this week and may be of interest to government contractors and...more
The Court unanimously held that a defendant’s subjective belief is relevant to scienter under the False Claims Act, even when a defendant’s conduct is consistent with an objectively reasonable interpretation of the law. ...more
Leaves Window Open for Defense Based on Subjective Belief - On June 1, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in a consolidated appeal of two healthcare qui tam cases that removes a very powerful defense from...more
Is subjective intent relevant to FCA claims? The Court answered yes, holding that FCA liability turns on what the defendant actually believed, not on what an objectively reasonable person may have believed. On June 1, 2023,...more
The US Supreme Court brushed aside novel assertions from two pharmacy retailers on June 1 and ruled unanimously that False Claims Act liability hinges on whether defendants subjectively believed their claims were “false.” In...more
In a unanimous opinion issued on June 1, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States clarified the relevant standard for scienter — or knowledge — in False Claims Act (“FCA”) actions by ruling that an objectively reasonable...more
On June 1, 2023, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in the consolidated cases United States v. SuperValu Inc. and United States v. Safeway, Inc. holding that the False Claims Act’s (“FCA”) scienter element refers...more
The False Claims Act imposes liability for false and fraudulent claims a defendant submitted with the requisite state of mind, or scienter. Before the Supreme Court handed down its June 1, 2023, decision in the combined...more
On June 1, 2023, the United States Supreme Court decided two consolidated cases, United States ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu Inc. and United States ex rel. Proctor v. Safeway, 589 U.S. ___ (2023), holding that a defendant’s...more
On June 1, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in United States ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu Inc. reversing a pair of False Claims Act (FCA) cases on review from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. In...more