False Claims Act Insights - Are the FCA’s Qui Tam Provisions Unconstitutional? One Federal Judge Says “Yes"
False Claims Act Insights - Assessing the Fallout from a Thermonuclear FCA Verdict
FCA Uncovered: Mitigating Risk in the Regulatory Spotlight — Regulatory Oversight Podcast
False Claims Act Insights - Think You Know Whistleblowers? Think Again.
Fraud and Abuse Enforcement Priorities in the Wake of COVID-19 - Diagnosing Health Care Podcast
On Feb. 18, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit adopted the “but for” causality standard for violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) that give rise to violations of the federal False Claims Act...more
On January 15, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released its annual report on civil fraud recoveries for FY2024 along with a press release highlighting DOJ’s civil enforcement efforts....more
In a significant ruling, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently expanded the scope of the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS).The Court joined other circuit courts across the country in adopting, for the first time, the...more
Years from now, might we cite a recent Middle District of Florida decision as the beginning of the end of the False Claim Act’s (FCA) qui tam provision in its current form? In granting the defendants’ motion for judgment on...more
On September 30, 2024, a federal district court in Florida held the qui tam enforcement provision of the False Claims Act (“FCA”), which permits private citizens to pursue actions in the name of and on behalf of the...more
A federal judge in Florida issued a ruling this week holding that the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act (FCA) are unconstitutional. In the lawsuit, a relator named Clarissa Zafirov accused the defendants of violating...more
In a prior blog, PilieroMazza discussed the Supreme Court’s decision in United States ex rel. Polansky v. Executive Health Resources, Inc. In that case, in his dissenting opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas referred to the qui...more
In a new decision that could have a significant impact on the persistent efforts of relators to reach otherwise lawful conduct and characterize it as a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), the US Court of Appeals for...more
On February 22, 2024, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) published its annual review of cases and recoveries under the False Claims Act. Through the end of fiscal year 2023, total recoveries (across all years) under the False...more
Is there a limit on the number of times the federal government can request extensions of the 60-day period under seal to decide whether to intervene in a qui tam relator's False Claims Act (FCA) case? The appellants in U.S....more
A recent District of Columbia federal court ruling reminds employers that a severance agreement containing a release of claims under the False Claims Act does not guarantee dismissal of a suit on those grounds....more
Law enforcement, federal agencies, and private whistleblowers are increasingly working alongside data scientists to identify fraudulent practices by analyzing vast data sets. The application of data analytics has notably...more
Last month in United States ex rel. Schutte, et al. v. SuperValu Inc. et al, the Supreme Court unanimously held (with Justice Thomas writing the opinion) that the False Claims Act’s (“FCA”) scienter element refers to a...more
In its recent unanimous and significant decision in the consolidated cases of United States ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu, No. 21-1326 (6-1-23), and United States ex rel. Proctol v. Safeway, Inc., No. 22-111 (6-1-23), the...more
United States ex rel. Polansky v. Executive Health Resources, Inc. (S. Ct. June 16, 2023) - The vast majority of False Claims Act cases are initiated by private parties, known as relators, not the government. In fact,...more
On Friday, June 16, 2023, the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS or the Court) upheld prior decisions by the trial court and Third Circuit in U.S. ex rel. Polansky v. Executive Health Resources, Inc. Polansky involves the...more
The U.S. Supreme Court, in an 8-1 decision written by Justice Kagan, held on June 16 that the United States (“Government”), having initially chosen not to intervene in a False Claims Act (“FCA”) qui tam case, but having...more
In this post, we summarize noteworthy False Claims Act (FCA) decisions so far from 2023. Each of the three circuit court opinions discussed here ruled in favor of the defendants on different aspects of the FCA: the Sixth...more
On March 31, 2023, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania dealt a blow to a trio of nursing home providers by denying their motion to dismiss a False Claims Act (FCA) claim brought by the...more
The Department of Justice (DOJ) released its annual summary of False Claims Act (FCA) recoveries for the prior fiscal year, and the data points to a number of notable trends. Although DOJ brought in the second-highest...more
The Court will decide whether the government can dismiss qui tam actions after initially declining to intervene and what standard courts should apply to the government’s dismissal request. The Supreme Court agreed to...more
The Supreme Court granted certiorari in a case that will decide two important questions under the False Claims Act (FCA). In United States ex rel. Polansky v. Executive Health Resources, Inc., the Relator asks the Court to...more
The federal False Claims Act results in a host of interesting relator claims. This one caught my eye. In United States of America v. Intermountain Healthcare, Inc., Case No. 2:20-cv-00372-TC-CMR (U.S. Dist. Ct. D. Utah...more
A defendant who violates the FCA can be liable for treble damages plus a civil penalty of $5,500 to $11,000 (adjusted for inflation) for each false claim. Meanwhile, FCA lawsuits often involve tens of thousands of alleged...more
A recent split decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit strengthens an argument many defendants of False Claims Act ("FCA") cases have been advancing for years: the violation of an ambiguous...more