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
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Island Industries v. Sigma Corp., upheld a lower court jury determination that an importer of welded pipe fittings is liable for $8 million in unpaid antidumping duties under the False...more
At the end of May, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the formation of a Civil Rights Fraud Initiative to “utilize the False Claims Act to investigate and, as appropriate, pursue claims against any recipient of federal...more
It has long been the law of the Eleventh Circuit that, under the False Claims Act (FCA) and Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b), a relator must provide sufficient “indicia of reliability … to support the allegation of an...more
One day after President Donald Trump's inauguration, on January 21, Trump issued Executive Order 14173, titled "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity" (EO 14173). In the text of EO 14173, Trump...more
In a much-anticipated decision, the First Circuit unanimously ruled the government and relators must prove that a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) was the “but-for” cause of a false claim under the False...more
In Wisconsin Bell, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Heath, the Supreme Court clarified the definition of “claim” under the FCA. The case resolves a split between the Fifth and Seventh Circuits on whether a request for...more
Without Congressional action, the authority of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) will sunset on March 27, 2025. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted in March...more
The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Criminal Division launched its Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program (“Criminal Whistleblower Program”) in August of 2024 to encourage tips for various types of fraud, including...more
Whistleblowers filed 979 qui tam lawsuits under the False Claims Act (FCA) in Fiscal Year 2024—the highest number in a single year and 35% more than in the prior year—the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced. Overall,...more
As we anticipated in our October 17, 2024, blog, both the Government and the Relator have appealed the district court’s decision in U.S. ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, LLC, et al. (Zafirov), the first case to...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
For over 160 years, the False Claims Act has let people bring claims on behalf of the U.S. government alleging fraud. In exchange, those individuals receive a portion of any recovery. In September, a federal district judge...more
President-elect Trump has repeatedly stated that he will increase tariffs. While it is unclear to what extent, while campaigning he proposed a 10% to 20% tariff on all imports and an additional 60% or more on goods from...more
A seismic shift in the world of False Claims Act (“FCA”) might have occurred recently in a Middle District of Florida courtroom. On September 30, 2024, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle issued her ruling in US ex rel Zafirov v....more
A recent Florida district court decision declared that the False Claims Act’s (FCA) qui tam provision violates the Constitution by vesting executive power in private whistleblowers (relators) that have not been appointed by...more
Mandatory disclosure obligations significantly changed for federal grant recipients, sub-recipients, and applicants on October 1, 2024. The amended federal regulation establishing these mandatory disclosures (2 C.F.R. §...more
Whenever there is a pot of money up for grabs, people will inevitably want more than their fair share. And when that money is doled out through government contracts, opportunities for fraud abound. The government can...more
A recent federal court decision has the potential to significantly impact the future of False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuits initiated by whistleblowers and to upend the FCA. In United States of America ex rel. Clarissa Zafirov v....more
For the first time ever, a judge has ruled that the qui tam provision of the False Claims Act (FCA), which whistleblowers have used to recover $52 billion on behalf of the government since 1986, is unconstitutional....more
A tool long-favored by the plaintiffs' bar to extract big judgments and settlements from individuals and companies – the False Claims Act (FCA) – which allows individual whistleblowers to pursue alleged civil wrongdoers in...more
A recent California False Claims Act (CFCA) settlement highlights how relators are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) tools to allege fraud and other issues. By understanding how AI may be used by relators or other...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, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle held that the qui tam provision of the FCA violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution because False Claims Act (“FCA”) relators are acting as...more
The Zafirov Ruling and Whistleblowers of Fraud - On September 30, 2024, a federal district court in Florida ruled that the False Claims Act (FCA) violates the U.S. Constitution when it permits private citizens to sue on...more
In a first-of-its-kind ruling on 30 September 2024, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida held in United States ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Med. Assocs., LLC that the qui tam...more