A recent Ninth Circuit decision underscores why importers should be worried that they will be hit with a large government bill under the False Claims Act (FCA) to pay for newly raised duties imposed on imported products. The...more
7/9/2025
/ Anti-Dumping Duty ,
Appeals ,
China ,
Customs ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
Judicial Authority ,
Jurisdiction ,
Penalties ,
Scienter ,
Tariffs
A circuit split over the causation standard under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) could grow wider after a recent Northern District of Illinois (NDIL) decision. In United States ex rel. Jeffrey Wilkerson & Larry...more
On September 17, 2024, the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) issued a final rule adopting changes to federal regulations governing research misconduct involving federally funded research (Final Rule). The regulations have...more
9/25/2024
/ Appeals ,
Confidential Information ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Documentation ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Final Rules ,
Fraud ,
HHS Office of Research Integrity (ORI) ,
Investigations ,
New Regulations ,
Plagiarism ,
Public Health Service (PHS) ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Transcripts ,
Willful Misconduct
Eleventh Circuit Adopts “Totality of the Circumstances” Test for Showing Protected Activity Under SOX and Denies Whistleblower Petition for Review -
In Ronnie v. Office Depot, LLC, --- F.4th ----, 2023 WL 6210623 (11th Cir....more
10/25/2023
/ Appeals ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Fraud ,
Internal Controls ,
Investment Adviser ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Retaliation ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals’ recent ruling in United States ex rel. Cairns v. D.S. Med., LLC is a significant win for defendants facing False Claims Act (FCA) claims based on alleged violation of the Anti-Kickback...more
Whistleblower Developments is a periodic report covering significant cases, decisions, proposals, and legislation related to whistleblower statutes and how they may impact your business. Recent developments include:...more
In a 2-1 opinion issued on April 5, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals again held that an objectively reasonable interpretation of a relevant statute or regulation precludes the required finding of intent under the False...more
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals is now the latest in a growing number of courts holding that an objectively reasonable interpretation of governing law defeats the requisite element of intent or “scienter” under the False...more
SEC Whistleblower Program Rules Change -
On September 23, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the adoption of a final rule in Release 34-89963 that changes several aspects of its whistleblower...more
10/22/2020
/ Appeals ,
CFTC ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Final Rules ,
New Rules ,
Proposed Rules ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblowers
Following the Eleventh Circuit’s and Third Circuit’s recent rulings in United States v. AseraCare and United States v. Care Alternatives, respectively, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has now also addressed the question of...more
All hospice providers routinely should assess risk exposure under the False Claims Act — now with the benefit of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit’s long-awaited decision in United States v. AseraCare Inc. ...more
2/4/2020
/ Appeals ,
Evidence ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospice ,
Jury Verdicts ,
Medical Experts ,
Medical Records ,
Medicare ,
Objective Falsity ,
Physicians ,
Summary Judgment ,
Terminal Illness Treatments ,
Trial Court Orders ,
Vacated
Tuesday’s ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in United States v. AseraCare is a win for hospice and other health care providers who have long argued that a mere difference of clinical...more
Health care providers, government contractors, and others who receive money from the federal government are at greater risk of suit under the False Claims Act (FCA), 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 et seq., following the Supreme Court’s...more
5/31/2019
/ Appeals ,
Cause of Action Accrual ,
Cochise Consultancy Inc v United States ex rel Hunt ,
Dismissals ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Intervenors ,
Limitation Periods ,
Qui Tam ,
Reaffirmation ,
Relators ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Statute of Limitations
In a memo leaked last year (the Granston Memo), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) instructed its prosecutors to more seriously consider dismissing meritless whistleblower False Claims Act (FCA) cases when it is in the...more
If one appellant has its way, the False Claims Act (FCA) would be gutted by way of its qui tam provisions struck down as unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court. That is the position taken by Intermountain Health...more
5/15/2019
/ Appeals ,
Appointments Clause ,
Article III ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ,
Hospitals ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Physician Medicare Reimbursements ,
Physicians ,
Qui Tam ,
Relators ,
Reversal
...On July 25, 2017, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced it was awarding nearly $2.5 million to a government employee who tipped off the SEC to a company’s wrongdoing.
Although the SEC does not...more
10/19/2017
/ Appeals ,
Digital Realty Trust Inc v Somers ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Federal Contractors ,
Financial CHOICE Act ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Investors ,
Misclassification ,
OFCCP ,
Private Sector ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Retaliation ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Split of Authority ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblowers ,
Wrongful Termination
Whistleblower Developments is a periodic report covering significant cases, decisions, proposals, and legislation related to whistleblower statutes and how they may impact your business. ...more
4/21/2017
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Appeals ,
Denial of Certiorari ,
Dismissals ,
Dodd-Frank ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Investment Adviser ,
Job Duties ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Retaliation ,
Reversal ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Split of Authority ,
Supervisors ,
Whistleblowers ,
Wrongful Termination
April 3, 2015, the Second Circuit handed a significant victory to prospective defendants in insider trading cases — as well as the two defendants whose convictions had been reversed — by denying U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s...more