Firm Settles $1.5 Million Qui Tam Case

Rabin Kammerer Johnson announces the settlement of the qui tam whistleblower case, United States ex rel. Relator v. Healthquest, Inc. et al., No. 16-81147-Civ-Rosenberg, filed in the Southern District of Florida.

Our firm filed the case in 2016 on behalf of a whistleblower who worked for a home health agency or HHA.  HHA’s provide home nursing services to elderly patients, commonly billing Medicare for these services.  In the lawsuit, the whistleblower alleged that Healthquest paid illegal kickbacks to marketers in order to recruit patients to use Healthquest’s services.   It is illegal to pay kickbacks in connection with government healthcare programs.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida investigated our client’s allegations, chose to intervene in the suit, and reached a settlement with several of the Defendants.  Under the terms of the settlement, the Government will receive $1.5 million.  As a whistleblower reward, the Government agreed to pay our client 20% of the proceeds, or $300,000.

The False Claims Act authorizes private whistleblowers to bring lawsuits on behalf of the Government to recover money lost due to fraud.   Rabin Kammerer Johnson is proud to bring cases like this one and to recover funds defrauded from the United States.