On November 30, 2022, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit revived a quality control manager’s FCA retaliation claim in United States ex rel. Ascolese v. Shoemaker Constr. Co., — F.4th —, 2022 WL 17335121 (3d Cir. 2022).
The Third Circuit’s precedential opinion addressed for the first time how Congress’s 2009 and 2010 amendments affect the False Claims Act’s retaliation standard.
Takeaways:
- Stock promoters have moved from boiler rooms and stock newsletters to social media services.
- The COVID-19 pandemic and the “meme stock” mania that accompanied it brought an influx of retail traders to public markets.
- Those retail investors have proven to be prime fodder for social media stock promoters.
A whistleblower’s retention and disclosure of confidential documents did not amount to breach of his employment contract, according to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
In United States ex rel. Cieszyski v. LifeWatch Services, Case No. 13-cv-4052 (N.D. Ill.), relator and one-time LifeWatch salesperson Matthew Cieszyski alleges that his former employer violated federal and state False Claims Acts (“FCAs”) by submitting for government reimbursement claims for heart monitoring services that violated relevant Medicare and Medicaid regulations.
