January 15, 2015
Healthcare Fraud
Patient records are considered highly confidential and are protected from unlawful dissemination by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPPA”). However, in light of a healthcare fraud-based False Claims Act allegation, how do patient confidentiality laws intersect with the rights of plaintiffs to expose healthcare facilities alleged […]
January 14, 2015
Contractor Fraud
Contract fraud is one of the most common issues addressed by the False Claims Act, and it can be found in virtually any industry. In today’s case, we explore a recent settlement between Verizon New England, Inc. and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts involving overcharges for services pursuant to lucrative contracts […]
January 13, 2015
False Claims Act Legal News
In a departure from our typical reports of domestic false claims and fraud, today’s post discusses the ongoing battle between courageous whistleblower Phaedra Almajid and her bid to expose massive fraud in the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup soccer games. The games, which are governed by […]
January 12, 2015
Mortgage Fraud
Under the False Claims Act’s qui tam provisions, individual private plaintiffs – who are often in a better position to report and relay the details of fraud against the government – can receive rewards of up to 30 percent of the total settlement or verdict obtained on behalf of U.S. […]
January 9, 2015
Healthcare Fraud
A subsidiary of the Stryker Corporation has agreed to pay $80 million after pleading guilty to marketing and selling certain knee replacement products without government approval. The OtisMed group, which manufacturers “cutting guides” used to achieve a perfect incision and implantation during knee replacements, has refused to admit any sort […]
January 8, 2015
Grant Fraud
Federal grant money often comes with highly-specific conditions and requirements, including the promise to only spend the money on certain expenses related to a research or development project. Failure to adhere to the terms of a grant award will likely trigger possible liability under the False Claims Act, provided the […]
January 7, 2015
Military Contractor Fraud
In another military fraud case, Swiss-based Supreme Foodservice has agreed to pay a total of $434 million to the United States following allegations of fraud under the False Claims Act. The lawsuit was commenced after several employees raised concerns over the ownership structure of Supreme Foodservice, alleging it was using […]
January 2, 2015
Healthcare Fraud
As we discussed in yesterday’s post, fiscal year 2014 was a historic one for the Department of Justice and the False Claims Act. With an overall recovery topping $5 billion – most of which is attributed to healthcare and mortgage fraud – the top ten healthcare fraud settlements involve astronomical […]
January 1, 2015
Healthcare Fraud
Fiscal year 2014 has been a historic one for the False Claims Act. According to a recent announcement by the Department of Justice, this past year has seen the recovery of more taxpayer dollars than any other year – with over $2 billion recovered from healthcare fraud alone. Bank and […]
December 31, 2014
Healthcare Fraud
Healthcare fraud is one of the top areas targeted by federal and state officials under the False Claims Act, and it continues to increase each year – resulting in billions of dollars in recovery. However, for some defendants, liability does not stop with the False Claims Act. As today’s case […]
December 30, 2014
Healthcare Fraud
Medicare and Medicaid set highly strict guidelines with regard to patient care. Patients are required to be under a specific care plan at all times, and caretakers must maintain certain threshold levels of competence and licensure in order to treat patients. Any deviation from state or federal guidelines could immediately […]
December 29, 2014
Contractor Fraud
In an interesting case at the intersection of healthcare and contractor fraud, Anchorage, Alaska-based Eyak Corporation has agreed to settle claims of false charges and illegal kickbacks occurring under a lucrative government contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Accordingly, Eyak Technology and its affiliate Eyak Services LLC have […]