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Hannah Webber is an associate in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice Group. She focuses on representing clients in healthcare-related litigation and investigations, as well as in other business disputes. She represents healthcare providers in litigation under the False Claims Act, internal compliance investigations, and investigations by the Department of Justice, United States Attorneys’ Offices, and the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Having previously examined the falsity, materiality, and scienter elements of the False Claims Act (FCA) in our FCA Fundamentals series, we now turn to what damages can arise from violations of the False Claims Act. The False Claims Act imposes liability for each false claim. If the alleged scheme is broad, pervasive, or spans an extended period, this can result in many individual false claims and significant damages and penalties. It is essential for defendants to scope damages and consider potential exposure throughout a False Claims Act case, which often requires an expert consultant.
Continue Reading False Claims Act Fundamentals: Damages

Each year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) recovers millions of dollars through False Claims Act (FCA) settlements, and 2021 was no exception. Some of the most sizeable or otherwise noteworthy settlements from 2021 were with hospitals and health systems. We’ve summarized a few below.
Continue Reading 2021 Recap: Hospitals’ Significant False Claims Act Settlements

The False Claims Act (FCA) prohibits employers from retaliating against whistleblowers who report FCA violations. 31 U.S.C. § 3730(h). To plead a claim under this anti-retaliation provision of the FCA, an employee must show the following three elements:

  • The employee engaged in protected activity.
  • The employer knew the employee engaged in protected activity.
  • The employer took an adverse action against the employee as a result of the employee’s protected activity.

Courts state and apply these basic elements slightly differently, and this post examines three rulings from district courts across different circuits at the end of last month.

Vaughn v. Harris County Hospital District

On September 29, the District Court for the Southern District of Texas adopted the memorandum and recommendation of the magistrate judge denying the motion to dismiss a former employee’s retaliation claim, holding he satisfied his pleading requirements.Continue Reading Trio of False Claims Act Retaliation Rulings from September

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama recently ordered that a relator’s qui tam lawsuit must be unsealed upon the case’s voluntary dismissal, denying the relator’s request to maintain the action under seal post-dismissal. This ruling in U.S. ex rel. Meythaler v. Encompass Health Corporation serves as an important reminder that public access to court records is vitally important and that whistleblowers’ allegations and identities will almost certainly be made public, even where the case is dismissed without litigation.

FCA Complaint Filed Under Seal

The relator, a physician formerly employed by the defendant, filed suit under the False Claims Act (FCA) against an inpatient rehabilitation facility operator and the CEOs of two of its Alabama facilities. The complaint alleged numerous schemes, including allegations that the defendants sought reimbursement for treatment of patients who were not eligible for rehabilitation benefits, delayed discharges and other orders to increase reimbursement, and made improper referrals to a home health agency. Per the FCA’s procedural requirements, 31 U.S.C. § 3730(b)(2), the relator filed his complaint under seal, giving the government a statutory period of at least 60 days to investigate the allegations and determine whether to intervene in the case.

The government declined to intervene in the action last fall. The relator then filed a notice of voluntary dismissal with prejudice, to which the government later consented. The relator also filed a motion asking the court to maintain the action under seal even after the case was dismissed to prevent the defendants from learning that the relator had filed a qui tam action against them. The government took no position on the relator’s motion.Continue Reading Relator Cannot Maintain Dismissed Qui Tam Action Under Seal, District Court Rules

Earlier this month the Northern District of California unsealed a criminal complaint filed against the president of a medical technology company, charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and one count of securities fraud. This case is one of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) first notable healthcare fraud prosecutions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and is the government’s first COVID-19-related prosecution for securities fraud.

Arrayit Corporation, a California-based medical technology company providing allergy testing, purported to use a “microarray technology,” which the company likened to the headline-making Theranos nanotainer technology, to test finger-prick drops of blood placed on a paper card and mailed to Arrayit’s laboratory. Defendant and company President Mark Schena describes himself as the “Father of Microarray Technology,” and Arrayit touted through social media that its microarray testing can use a drop of blood 250,000 times smaller than that used by Theranos.Continue Reading DOJ Brings COVID-19-Related Fraud Charges Against Tech Company President

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced this month that it obtained over $3 billion in settlements and judgments from civil fraud and false claims cases during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019 (FY 2019). Of this total recovery, the vast majority—$2.6 billion—arose from matters related to different sectors of the healthcare industry. DOJ noted that 2019 was the tenth consecutive year that recoveries from civil healthcare fraud cases have exceeded $2 billion, indicating that the government’s enforcement efforts remain focused on allegations of fraud in the healthcare sector.

Large Recoveries Related to Drug Manufacturers & EHR

Within the healthcare industry, the government reported significant recoveries against pharmaceutical manufacturers. Insys Therapeutics paid $195 million to resolve civil False Claims Act (FCA) allegations that it paid kickbacks to induce healthcare providers to inappropriately prescribe its fentanyl product, Subsys, to their patients. This civil settlement was part of a larger global resolution of civil and criminal allegations, with Insys agreeing to pay a total of $225 million. Reckitt Benckiser Group agreed to pay $1.4 billion to resolve criminal and civil allegations related to the marketing of the addition treatment drug Suboxone, a buprenorphine product. The global resolution included a $500 million civil settlement with the federal government.Continue Reading DOJ Announces 2019 FCA Recovery, Majority Came from Healthcare Industry