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
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
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 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
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
The Office of Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) Andrea Campbell announced the criminal indictment of several Massachusetts-based health care providers and their owners in connection with allegedly false claims they...more
As of February 18, 2025, the First Circuit Court of Appeals requires the government to prove “but-for” causation in Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS)-based False Claims Act (FCA) cases. The court reasoned in United States v....more
Jury Clears SuperValu of Liability in Whistleblower FCA Prescription Pricing Case - A federal jury in Illinois recently found SuperValu not liable in a whistleblower lawsuit that accused the company of overcharging the...more
In United States v. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit held that when the government seeks to establish False Claims Act liability under the 2010 amendment to the Anti-Kickback...more
On February 18, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit issued a highly anticipated ruling interpreting the relationship between the False Claims Act ("FCA") and the federal Anti-Kickback Statute ("AKS"), holding...more
Massachusetts District Court Judge Applies Heightened Causation Standard in FCA Case - On January 6, a District Court of Massachusetts judge granted summary judgment for defendants on allegations of violating the...more
Second Circuit Partially Affirms Novartis’ Motion to Dismiss AKS Claims - Last week, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s ruling that dismissed allegations from a whistleblower who claimed that...more
On December 4, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit heard oral arguments in USA v. Mark Sorensen, case number 24-1557, and it is now taking under advisement a case that could have widespread effects as to what...more
Seventh Circuit Considers When Legal Marketing Transforms Into Illegal Kickbacks - On December 4, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit heard oral arguments regarding whether the January 2023 jury conviction of...more
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced in a Nov. 12, 2024, press release that an ophthalmology practice with offices located in West Central Florida (the Provider) entered into an approximately $1.3 million settlement...more
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. (Teva USA) and Teva Neuroscience Inc. (“Teva”) agreed to pay $450 million to resolve two matters that allege Teva violated the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and the False Claims Act (FCA). Teva is...more
Teva Pharmaceuticals, the largest generic drug manufacturer in the United States, has agreed to pay $450 million to resolve allegations of violating the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute arising from purported...more
US Supreme Court Declines to Consider AKS ‘Willfulness’ Question - On October 7, the US Supreme Court denied a petition in which a whistleblower asked the Court to decide whether a “willful” act under the federal...more
The health care industry is anxiously awaiting the First Circuit’s ruling on the standard of causation for actions brought under the False Claims Act (FCA) predicated on a federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) violation. The...more
Florida Federal Judge Strikes Down FCA’s Qui Tam Provision as Unconstitutional - On September 30, US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the Middle District of Florida held in a historic decision that the federal...more
Walgreens Settles for $106.8 Million Over FCA Violations - On September 13, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and Walgreen Co. (collectively, Walgreens) agreed to pay $106.8...more
Federal Court Permits Investors to Resume Kickback Suit Against Teva - After a two-year long stay, on August 30, Judge Karen S. Marston of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled that investors...more
Each summer in recent years, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and associated fraud enforcement partners have indicted many health care defendants, in multiple cases across the country. This summer continued the tradition....more
Former Congressman George Santos Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft - On August 19, former US Representative George Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. As part of the...more