October 7, 2014
Mortgage Fraud
Earlier this month, Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced a record $1.15 billion lawsuit against several major banking institutions. The lawsuit stems from the rampant misconduct that eventually gave rise to the 2008 housing bubble, and includes the following defendants: Barclay’s Capital, Inc. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Countrywide Securities […]
October 6, 2014
Contractor Fraud
Contractor fraud is an unfortunately common type of False Claims Act litigation, and it is not unheard of for a government contractor to rip off American taxpayers for hundreds of millions of dollars – particularly in the defense sector. However, not all acts of alleged misconduct are actionable under the […]
October 3, 2014
False Claims Act Legal News
Earlier this month, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder spoke – along with several top DOJ colleagues – regarding the administration’s goals to identify, isolate, and eliminate costly and wasteful corporate fraud. In a speech to the New York University School of Law, Holder reiterated that he hopes to see an […]
October 2, 2014
Military Contractor Fraud
In a False Claims Act settlement, the makers of military-grade batteries for use in Humvee vehicles agreed to settle claims each provided inferior batteries to the Department of Defense for a period spanning several years. The settlement resolves extensive allegations by a former employee-whistleblower, including the assertion that the sub-par […]
October 1, 2014
Grant Fraud
Federal grant money can be a wonderful resource for non-profits, charities, start-ups, and educational organizations in need of capital to advance their stated mission or purpose. However, federal grants are accompanied by lengthy and detailed agreements that impose conditions on the recipient with regard to permissible uses for the funds. […]
September 30, 2014
Healthcare Fraud
A Maryland-based, not-for-profit skilled nursing corporation, known as Episcopal Ministries to the Aging, Inc. (EMA), has agreed to pay $1.3 million to the federal government to settle allegations it defrauded Medicare by making false claims for reimbursement on behalf of patients within several of its facilities. EMA, a nursing home management […]
September 29, 2014
Healthcare Fraud
Brentwood, Tennessee-area surgical center management company Meridian Surgical Partners has agreed to pay a total of $5.12 million to settle allegations of healthcare fraud. Healthcare fraud continues to reign as the top-grossing area of recovery under the False Claims Act, and the Department of Health and Human Services – in […]
September 26, 2014
Healthcare Fraud
We recently reported on the government’s decision to intervene in a False Claims Act lawsuit against spinal surgeon Aria Sabit, which involved allegations of medically unnecessary spinal fusion operations in exchange for kickbacks from the Reliance Medical Group. In a simultaneous and related event, the Department of Justice filed its […]
September 25, 2014
Rule 9(b)
If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that the federal Courts of Appeal are engaged in a near-even split with regard to the applicability of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b) in the False Claims Act context. In general, a civil plaintiff must set forth general facts in a complaint […]
September 24, 2014
Healthcare Fraud
It’s another instance of healthcare fraud involving the federal Medicare and Medicaid systems. A prominent California neurosurgeon, his associates, and their distributorship network – Reliance Medical Systems LLC – are facing significant possible liability under the False Claims Act for engaging in unnecessary procedures in order to pad revenue. The […]
September 23, 2014
Healthcare Fraud
While many aspects of the False Claims Act are firmly settled by consistent holdings by federal district and appellate courts, other areas are more grey – including how much weight should be given to the difference between a condition of payment and a condition of participation. In today’s article, we […]
September 22, 2014
Healthcare Fraud
On August 29th, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint against two California-based nursing home facilities known as Country Villa Watsonville East and Country Villa Watsonville West – both of which participate in both Medicare and Medicaid (Medi-Cal). The complaint alleges horrific patterns of patient neglect, including the administration […]