The publication “Beckers Hospital Review” listed fifteen False Claims Act settlements over $1.5 million that have been announced since February 2018 involving hospitals. The cases involved a variety of fraudulent conduct, including: false billing, kickbacks, improper payments, and the improper retention of overpayments. The largest one of these cases resulted in a $30 million recovery….
A Whistleblower Suit Based on Public Information Was Allowed Because She Was An “Original Source” of Information
A whistleblower’s suit against the medical device manufacturer Medtronic alleging illegal kickbacks was allowed to go forward despite the fact that much of the information in that suit was based on public information. The judge in the case held that the information provided by the whistleblower “meaningfully adds” to the publicly disclosed information. Under the…
Whistleblower Exposes That “CityMD” Illegally Billed New York State Employee Health Plan for Facility Fees
New York Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood announced today a $883,000 settlement with City Practice Group of New York, LLC – popularly known as “CityMD” – for causing the submission of false claims to New York State’s Empire Plan, a health insurance plan for state and local government employees and their dependents. CityMD, a Delaware…
Guam Considers Passing Tax Whistleblower Law
Legislation has been introduced in Guam that would enable whistleblowers to bring an action against companies that defraud the territory, including an action against those who illegally underpay taxes to the government of Guam. Whistleblowers would be eligible for a portion of the reward. Click here to read more.
Navy Whistleblower Exposes Mismanagement of $32 Million of Equipment & Mishandling of Classified Materials
A whistleblower’s complaint resulted in a determination by the Navy that over $32 million worth of equipment at a base could not be accounted for because of improper record keeping and handling of the equipment. Additionally, it was determined that classified materials had been stored improperly. The U.S. Special Counsel Henry Kerner noted that “A…
Lance Armstrong Settles Whistleblower Suit for $5,000,000; Whistleblower Floyd Landis Eligible for Portion of Reward
When Lance Armstrong repeatedly cheated to win the Tour de France he probably never expected the federal whistleblower law – the U.S. False Claims Act – to be a factor. Yet, his former teammate and whistleblower Floyd Landis exposed Armstrong’s illegal doping and used the False Claims Act to bring an action against Armstrong for…
Whistleblower Lawsuit Exposes Norwegian Aid Group’s Secret Support of Terrorist Organizations and State Sponsors of Terrorism
Using the False Claims Act, a whistleblower brought suit against Norwegian’s People’s Aid, a non-profit, non-governmental organization headquartered in Norway, that receives funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development to help developed countries. The lawsuit, joined by the United States Department of Justice, alleged that Norwegian’s People’s Aid provided material support to Iran, Hamas,…
Alere Settles for $33.2 Million After Whistleblower Lawsuit; Whistleblower to Receive $5.6 Million
A whistleblower initiated lawsuit against Massachusetts-based medical device manufacturer Alere Inc. and its subsidiary resulted in a $33.2 million settlement for knowingly selling materially unreliable point-of-care diagnostic testing devices. The whistleblower, a former senior quality control analyst for Alere, will receive $5.6 million pursuant to the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. Click here to…
Whistleblower Suit Nets $3.1 Million from Heart Pump Manufacturer For Buying Doctors Meals at Most Expensive Restaurants in United States
Heart pump producer Abiomed Inc has agreed to pay $3.1 million to resolve a U.S. probe into allegations that it sought to get doctors to use a line of heart pumps it produced by buying them lavish meals at some of the most expensive restaurants in the United States. The civil settlement was announced on Thursday…
U.S. Joins Whistleblower Case Against Private Equity Firm, Pharmacy, and Pharmacy Executives for Drug Kickbacks
The United States intervened in a whistleblower suit that was filed against Diabetic Care Rx LLC d/b/a Patient Care America (PCA), a compounding pharmacy located in Pompano Beach, Florida, alleging that the pharmacy paid illegal kickbacks to induce prescriptions for compounded drugs reimbursed by TRICARE, The government has also brought claims against Patrick Smith and…