Medical Device Legal News with Sam Bernstein: Episode 14
The Justice Insiders: FIFA Corruption Trial – Will the Feds Score Another Goal?
Rob DeConti on the Latest Guidance and Insights from the OIG at HHS
On July 11, 2025, in United States v. Schena,[1] the Ninth Circuit adopted an expansive interpretation of the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA), applying the law to any payment that could have the effect of...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has held that a laboratory owner’s payments to marketing intermediaries violated the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA)—in its first interpretation of the statute...more
The Trump administration recently announced the renewal of a new cross-agency collaboration between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the form of the DOJ-HHS False Claims...more
The Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, enacted in 2018, was a bombshell for the addiction treatment and diagnostic laboratory industries. For the first time, paying commissions for sales and marketing services was...more
The health care industry – already bracing for the financial impact of Medicaid cuts – faces another hard truth: This administration isn’t slowing the pace of health care fraud enforcement. Rather, it’s doubling down on...more
In one of the few prosecutions based on the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA), and in an even rarer Court of Appeals opinion interpreting the statute, the Ninth Circuit in United States v. Schena, No. 23-2989, 2025...more
Here are curated AG and federal regulatory news stories highlighting key areas in which state and federal regulators’ decisions are having an impact across the US: •Democratic AGs Oppose Washing Away Appliance Efficiency...more
Several States' Attorneys General reported resolving a case alleging that Gilead Sciences ran an illegal kickback scheme to promote the use of its HIV medications. The government alleged that Gilead utilized various methods,...more
Emphasizing its commitment to enforcing the False Claims Act (FCA) and combating health care fraud, the Trump Administration recently instituted a DOJ-HHS False Claims Act Working Group dedicated to “combating health care...more
New York AG Letitia James, along with a bipartisan coalition of 48 other AGs and in coordination with the U.S. DOJ, announced a $202 million settlement in principle with Gilead Sciences, Inc. (“Gilead”), to resolve...more
On July 11, 2025, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the criminal conviction of laboratory operator Mark Schena for violations of the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, 18 U.S.C. § 220 (EKRA) based on...more
On June 30, 2025, New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James announced new lawsuits, criminal charges, and settlements with 25 New York transportation companies related to alleged schemes to defraud Medicaid of millions....more
Designed for busy in-house counsel, compliance professionals, and anti-corruption lawyers, this newsletter summarizes some of the most important international anti-corruption law and enforcement developments from the past...more
Key Takeaways - First Appellate Interpretation of EKRA: The Ninth Circuit’s decision in United States v. Schena marks the first appellate court interpretation of the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA), affirming...more
The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice have formed a False Claims Act (FCA) enforcement working group to target health care fraud. Our Health Care Litigation Group highlights what industry...more
On July 2, 2025, the Departments of Justice and Health & Human Services announced a joint working group aimed at “strengthening their ongoing collaboration to advance priority enforcement areas” under the False Claims Act...more
On July 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) jointly announced the next phase of the Administration’s “Whole-of-Government” approach to fighting health care...more
On June 6, 2025, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued Advisory Opinion 25-03 (the “Opinion”), offering guidance for structuring telehealth collaborations in a manner that complies with the federal Anti-Kickback...more
On July 2, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the creation of the DOJ-HHS False Claims Act Working Group, a high-level interagency initiative aimed at...more
Whistleblower Watch is a comprehensive source for all False Claims Act (FCA) news and information. Every quarter, Cozen O’Connor will provide in-house counsel and compliance professionals with a summary of the most notable...more
On May 1, a whistleblower filed a complaint under the federal False Claims Act (FCA) against Aetna, Elevance Health (formerly Anthem) and Humana alleging that the insurers paid hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal...more
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced on April 23 that Genexe, LLC (doing business as Genexe Health) and its parent company, Immerge, Inc., along with two of their executive...more
Gilead to Pay $202 Million to Settle DOJ Claims Over Speaker Program Kickbacks - Gilead Sciences, Inc. has agreed to pay $202 million to resolve allegations brought by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that it violated...more
A Florida jury recently found two laboratory co-owners of Innovative Genomics LLC (“IGX”) not guilty in connection with an allegedly fraudulent COVID-19 testing scheme. The Government alleged that from November 2019 through...more
Jury Acquitted Lab Owners in Nearly $40 Million COVID-19 Fraud Case - On March 27, a Florida jury acquitted two testing lab co-owners of conspiracy, health care fraud, and wire fraud charges. Innovative Genomics, LLC...more