On March 28, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina advanced a plaintiff-friendly interpretation of the False Claims Act’s (“FCA’s”) first-to-file rule. It recognized that naming new defendants who are related to defendants named in previously filed complaint and complicit in the alleged fraud renders the subsequent complaint sufficiently different to pass muster under the rule.
Last week, in Tyson Foods v. Bouaphakeo, — S. Ct. —-, 2016 WL 1092414, the U.S.
Respironics is to pay $34.8 million for alleged False Claims Act violations related to the sale of sleep masks designed to treat sleep apnea. Allegedly Respironics, a Murrysville, PA based company, paid kickbacks in the form of free call center services to durable medical equipment (DME) companies that purchased the masks.
On Monday, February 29, 2016, the Justice Department announced that the Lockheed Martin Corporation and its subsidiaries Lockheed Martin Energy Systems and Lockheed Martin Utility Services (collectively, Lockheed Martin) agreed to pay the United States $5 million to resolve allegations that they violated the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed a district court order dismissing the False Claims Act (“FCA”) lawsuit brought by Relator Steven Mateski against his former employer, Raytheon.
Ameri-Source International, Inc.; Ameri-Source Specialty Products, Inc.; Ameri-Source Holdings, Inc. and SMC Machining, LLC are Pennsylvania-based importers. Arjay Goel and Thomas Diener owned the first three companies while SMC Machining, Inc. was incorporated at Goel’s direction. The businesses and Goel and Diener were named as defendants in a False Claims Act lawsuit alleging that that they had schemed to avoid customs duties for the import of small-diameter graphic electrodes which were manufactured in the Peoples Republic of China.
On Tuesday, February 9, 2016, President Barack Obama announced that he was seeking $29 billion in funding for the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) in his budget for fiscal year 2017.
Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit interpreted the False Claims Act’s (“FCA’s”) public disclosure bar, as modified by the 2010 amendments, in a manner favorable to potential relators.
The United States has secured a $9 million settlement from URS E&C Holdings, Inc., a successor in interest to Washington Group International, Inc., to resolve False Claims Act allegations. According to the settlement, Washington Group International, Inc., a global design and construction company, was awarded contracts in the 1990s by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the construction of water and wastewater infrastructure projects in the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Novum Structures LLC, a Wisconsin based construction company, has agreed to pay a $3 million fine and enter a guilty plea for violating the “Buy America” provisions of contracts for federally funded construction projects. This includes a $500,000 criminal fine and $2.
