October 23, 2013
False Claims Act Legal News
In a press release issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it was announced that K-Mart has agreed to pay the United States and 32 participating states $2.55 million to settle allegations of false prescription claims. Under the False Claims Act, which has been ratified or closely mimicked by several […]
October 22, 2013
Healthcare Fraud
Any individual with original information about fraudulent Medicaid or Medicare claims may come forward as a whistleblower under the federal False Claims Act (“FCA”). Under the FCA, it is considered against the law for a doctor to offer or implant a medical device that is known to be faulty and […]
October 21, 2013
SEC Fraud
The Dodd-Frank Act, enacted in 2010, is dedicated to avoiding the financial misconduct which gave rise to America’s financial crisis of 2008. Under this Act, there is a provision focused on whistleblowers with original knowledge of fraud in the commodities trading industry. What is commodities trading? Commodities trading is better […]
October 21, 2013
False Claims Act Information
It is not uncommon for a whistleblower case to result in a settlement or order valued in the millions of dollars. In this article, we focus on cases with ten-figure settlements, including some approaching the billion-dollar mark. Interestingly, the majority of companies that were affected by these expensive settlements arising […]
October 18, 2013
Healthcare Fraud
The False Claims Act bars, among other things, unlawful kickbacks to physicians pertaining to any patient interaction to be subsequently billed to Medicare or Medicaid. The FCA also prohibits drug manufacturers from marketing or selling products in ways other than those approved by the FDA. Any deviation from the approved […]
October 15, 2013
SEC Fraud
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is a federal statute enacted in 2002 in order to promote accountability for public companies. The statute contains a whistleblower protection clause stating that no officer, employee, contractor, sub-contractor or agent may be fired or otherwise face retaliation for reporting unlawful conduct. The legislative intent of the […]
October 14, 2013
Tax Fraud
Many of our reports center on fraudulent billing practices against Medicare and Medicaid. However, the IRS also maintains a whistleblower program designed to incentivize those with first-hand knowledge of tax fraud to come forward, report their information, and collect a sizable percentage of any money recovered. In the paragraphs that […]
October 11, 2013
Uncategorized
Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court engaged the U.S. Solicitor General to provide additional information and background about the pleading requirements contained within the False Claims Act. The Court is particularly interested in the level of factual background necessary in a whistleblower’s initial Complaint in order for the case […]
October 10, 2013
Healthcare Fraud
The case against Tuomey Health Care began when a whistleblower physician refused to do business with the company under the terms of its standard contract, which included anticipated physician referrals as part of the computation of the physician’s compensation. Kickbacks and referral fees are prohibited under the FCA and the […]
October 9, 2013
False Claims Act Legal News
In October 2013, a prominent Social Security disability attorney and an equally well-known administrative law judge faced a flurry of questioning before the U.S. Senate pertaining to allegations of fraud and deceit in the pursuit of disability benefits. The duo refused to testify, with attorney Eric C. Conn citing his constitutional […]
October 8, 2013
False Claims Act Legal News
We are proud to announce the Department of Justice has decided to intervene in one of our whistleblower cases recently filed against Pinnacle Bank. The facts of U.S. ex rel. Hospitality Management, Inc. v. Pinnacle Bank, which originates in Wyoming, reveal a systematic protocol of fraud and misrepresentation with regard […]
October 7, 2013
SEC Fraud
Under the False Claims Act (FCA) and various other federal and state anti-fraud statutes, whistleblowers may recover a certain percentage of any money recovered by the government as a result of the relator’s willingness to come forward. In many cases, whistleblowers choose to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation or […]