N.I. Teijin Shoji Co. Ltd., a fiber importer, agreed to a $1.5 million settlement for False Claims Act allegations. The company imported the fiber, Zylon, which was manufactured by Toyobo Co. Ltd. of Japan. It is alleged that Teijin Shoji was aware that the Zylon degraded quickly over time causing it to be unfit for use in the production of bullet proof vests.
Seven hospitals in Florida, Mississippi, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina and Alabama have agreed to pay the United States a total of more than $6.3 million to settle allegations under the False Claims Act. Between 2000 and 2008 these hospitals performed kyphoplasty, a minimally invasive treatment for certain spinal fractures that is often performed on an outpatient basis.
On Thursday, February 17, 2011, the Allegheny Bar Association’s Federal Court section will be presenting QUI TAM LITIGATION IN THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA: OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
A federal court trial against Former Kaplan Higher Education Dean Ben Wilcox began November 30, 2010. The government charges that Wilcox hacked into Kaplan’s computer systems and sent harassing e-mails to Kaplan students, employees and executives. Although Wilcox previously admitted to sending the e-mails, he is now defending on grounds that Kaplan framed him for threatening to blow the whistle on the Company’s fraud.
Drug lobbyists, PhRMA and BIO have been trying to sell the public on claims that kickbacks involved in the Omnicare Whistleblower Litigation, in which Omnicare, a prominent pharmacy benefit manager, allegedly accepted bribes from most top drug companies in return for pushing expensive medicines over cheaper alternatives, offered rebates to Omnicare,
CDI, a Philadelphia supplier of engineering services on commercial and military projects, agreed to settle a false claims act lawsuit based on claims of mischarged labor costs for the period from January 2001 through December 2006. An investigation revealed that CDI directed billing of labor costs (at increments less than .5 hours to evade detection) to be reimbursed by the military for work that was never done.
Harold Salamon, a Haitian immigrant, who was hired as a financial analyst by government contractor Louis Berger group, became a whistleblower against the company. The company recently settled civil and criminal fines in the amount of $69.3 million and accepted a deferred prosecution while allowing the company to continue bidding for government contracts.
Philadelphia based Norian Corp, its corporate parent, Synthes, Inc., and four Norian executives have pleaded guilty in connection with conducting unauthorized tests of its bone cement product in the spine of more than 200 patients, an “off-label” use for which it had trained many surgeons.
Our website has been updated to include information on the Security and Exchange Commission’s new Whistleblower Program created by the Dodd-Frank bill. Please visit us at www.falseclaimsact.com.
Marc Raspanti, a name partner of our firm, was featured in Sunday’s Philadelphia Inquirer. Please click on the following link to read about Marc Raspanti’s career and opportunities for whistleblowers in today’s economic and legislative climate.
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20101128_Big_money_whistle-blower_suits_on_the_rise.
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.