The Event
On November 30, 2017, the Italian Government enacted Law 179: “Provisions for the protection of whistleblowers who report offences or irregularities which have come to their attention in the context of a public or private employment relationship.” This Law established the first set of whistleblower protections in the private sector in all of Italian legislative history.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced on Friday, October 26, 2018, that global healthcare giant Abbott Laboratories (“Abbott”) has executed a settlement agreement and will pay $25 million to settle a non-intervened whistleblower lawsuit alleging that it illegally promoted its blockbuster cholesterol drug Tricor for off-label uses and paid kickbacks to prescribing physicians.
What Happened?
On December 9, 2016, the French Parliament enacted Sapin II: “the law on transparency, the fight against corruption and the modernization of economic life.” This marked the first time in French history that a whistleblower was offered protection in an anti-corruption case.
The Issue
On September 7, 2018, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decided a previously unanswered question regarding the False Claims Act (FCA) in United States ex rel.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently ruled on a case involving 5 defendants accused of health care fraud in their operation of a jointly-owned urinalysis company.
Urinalysis is frequently used by drug treatment centers and behavioral health hospitals as a way to monitor recovering addicts’ progress toward sobriety and track permissible medications.
What Happened?
In United States ex rel. Rose v. Pjh Stephens Inst., the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s order denying Defendant’s motion for summary judgment, and determined that the two part test created in States ex rel.
Post Acute Medical, LLC and its affiliated entities, operators of long‑term care and rehabilitation hospitals across the country (collectively, “PAM”) have agreed to pay the United States, Texas, and Louisiana more than $13 million dollars to resolve claims that it violated the False Claims Act and similar state laws. The government alleged that the company submitted claims to Medicare and Medicaid that resulted from violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law.
The United States recently filed a False Claims Act Complaint in Intervention against Florida-based compounding pharmacy Patient Care America (“PCA”), two PCA employees, as well as Riordan Lewis & Haden, Inc. (“RLH”), the private equity (“PE”) firm that acquired PCA and helped manage the company. United States ex rel.
William M. McSwain, Esquire was nominated by President Donald J. Trump to be the 39th U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The Eastern District of Pennsylvania is one of the original 13 federal judiciary districts created by the Judiciary Act of 1789. It is also one of the nation’s largest districts covering over 4,700 square miles with over five million people residing within the district.
On July 23, 2018, the Governor of Puerto Rico, The Honorable Ricardo Rosselló, signed House Bill 1627 into law, which establishes Puerto Rico’s version of the federal False Claims Act. Puerto Rico’s new law is called “The Fraudulent Claims to Programs, Contracts, and Services of the Government of Puerto Rico Act.” This is a significant development for Puerto Rico.
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.