April 18, 2018
False Claims Act Information
In three 2019 decisions, federal district courts have reiterated the established rule that whistleblowers cannot prosecute a False Claims Act (“FCA”) suit unless they are represented by counsel. Tavares v. Rhode Island Super. Ct., 2019 WL 2269225, at *2 (D.R.I. May 28, 2019); McGhee v. Light, 2019 WL 2122893, at *2 […]
April 18, 2018
False Claims Act Information
One of the critical elements for a whistleblower in successfully bringing a qui tam lawsuit under the False Claims Act is being able to prove that the whistleblower is an “original source.” In general, courts have no jurisdiction over qui tam actions based upon the public disclosure of allegations or transactions, such […]
April 18, 2018
Healthcare Fraud
In recent years, the Department of Justice and qui tam plaintiffs have pursued a rash of claims involving misbranding of prescription drugs based on off-label marketing (where the drug manufacturer promotes a drug for uses not approved by the FDA or makes claims about the safety or efficacy of the drug that […]
April 18, 2018
False Claims Act Information
Many qui tam whistleblowers participated, to one degree or another, in the very fraud that they later report to the government. Usually this is because they either didn’t know the law, or they needed to keep their job and felt they would be fired if they did not “go along.” […]
April 18, 2018
False Claims Act Information
Reporting Fraud Under the New York False Claims Act The New York False Claims Act (“New York FCA”) was originally enacted on April 7, 2007 and was modeled after the Federal False Claims Act (“Federal FCA”). At the time of passage, the provisions were nearly identical to the then-1986 version of the […]
April 18, 2018
False Claims Act Information
What is a Qui Tam Action? Whistleblower/qui tam cases are a type of lawsuit whistleblowers bring under the False Claims Act (“FCA”). They are a powerful way for qui tam whistleblowers to help the government stop many types of fraud and recover money that has been stolen from the U.S. Treasury and taxpayers. The FCA rewards whistleblowers whose […]
April 18, 2018
IRS Whistleblower
Whistleblowers submitting claims under Sec. 7623(a) or (b) must complete IRS Form 211, Application for Award for Original Information, in order to qualify for the whistleblower award. If they submit claims without completing the form, they will not be eligible for the reward. [1] IRS Form 211 must be completed in […]
April 18, 2018
Healthcare Fraud
False claims attorneys must consider the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”) 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b) as a possible basis for a false claims action. This statute arose out of congressional concern that remuneration provided to those who can influence healthcare decisions would result in goods and services being provided that are medically unnecessary, of poor […]
April 18, 2018
Healthcare Fraud
Controlled Substances & The Controlled Substances Act Section 812 of the Controlled Substances Act ( 21 U.S.C. §801 et seq.f) (“CSA”) lists substances which were controlled in 1970 when the law was enacted. Since then, approximately 160 substances have been added, removed, or transferred from one schedule to another. The current […]
April 18, 2018
SEC Fraud
Securities and Exchange Commission Whistleblower Statute In response to the global financial crisis in 2008, Congress passed financial reform legislation known as the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010, which came into effect in August 2011. In addition to the sweeping new financial regulations, the Dodd-Frank Act contained whistleblower provisions to encourage and incentivize […]
April 18, 2018
False Claims Act Information
While fraud can be pursued by the government, many times a fraud investigation is initiated by the filing of a False Claims Act case. If an individual or group of individuals has evidence of fraud being committed against the government, they can seek to file a lawsuit under the Federal […]
April 18, 2018
False Claims Act Information
A whistleblower considering reporting fraud under the False Claims Act should be aware that getting a qui tam case on file before any other potential whistleblower is a critical and necessary part of any potential recovery. The False Claims Act provides that “no other person other than the Government may intervene or bring a […]