On May 19, 2015, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed into law a state false claims act that largely mirrors the federal False Claims Act, including the ability of a qui tam relator to bring an action on behalf of the state.
Last Tuesday, the United States Supreme Court issued its long-awaited ruling in United States ex rel. Carter v. KBR, Inc.
On Tuesday, in United States ex rel. Nevyas v. Allergan, Inc., an Eastern District of Pennsylvania district court denied pharmaceutical giant Allergan’s motion to dismiss False Claims Act (“FCA”) allegations brought against it by Relator eye doctors in the Philadelphia area.
On May 14, 2015, PharMerica Corp. agreed to pay $31.5 million to resolve a False Claims Act and Controlled Substances Act lawsuit alleging that the company had dispensed Schedule II controlled drugs without valid prescriptions and then billed Medicare for the improperly dispensed drugs.
The United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) recently announced that PharMerica Corp. will pay $31.5 million, including more than $4 million to a whistleblower, to settle alleged violations of the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) and False Claims Act (“FCA”) related to the company’s improper dispensing of narcotics and submission of false claims to Medicare Part D.
Bills signed by Governor Larry Hogan, Speaker of the House Michael Busch and Senate President Mike Miller include, expanding the Maryland False Claims Act protecting whistleblowers.
On April 1, 2015, the SEC announced its first whistleblower protection case involving restrictive confidentiality language. The agency charged the Houston-based engineering and technology firm KBR, Inc., with using overly restrictive language in confidentiality agreements that allegedly obstructed the whistleblowing process.
Speaking at a Fordham University School of Law event on Friday, March 6, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara said that whistleblower bounties and leniency agreements could be useful tools for uncovering public corruption. Bharara is the latest law enforcer to endorse the benefits of rewarding tipsters who come forward with information about misconduct.
The official founding of a Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus was announced on February 25, 2015 by Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA).
In 2014, the total whistleblower recoveries amounted to just shy of $3 billion, $2.2 billion (73 percent) of which were in the health care arena.
If you are aware of any person, corporation or entity that you think may be violating the Federal False Claims Act or a State False Claims Act, contact us today.