Author Archives: Site Administrator
Second False Claims Lawsuit Filed Against Novartis
According to the Department of Justice, New Jersey-based Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation has been sued by the United States a second time for allegedly paying kickbacks to health care providers in return for prescribing Novartis drugs that were reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE. In September 2010, Novartis settled a similar suit regarding its drugs… Read More »
Changes Proposed to Florida’s False Claims Act
The Florida Legislature is currently considering a pair of bills designed to update Florida’s False Claims Act, section 68.081, et seq, Florida Statutes (“Florida FCA”). Modeled after the Federal False Claims Act (“Federal FCA”), the Florida FCA authorizes private individuals or whistleblowers to bring “qui tam” suits, in the name of the state government,… Read More »
Amgen Pays $24.9 Million to Settle Qui Tam Case
Fortune 500 biotech firm Amgen, Inc., based in California, has agreed to pay $24.9 million to settle allegations that it defrauded various federal and state health programs including Medicare and Medicaid. According to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, $14.7 million of the settlement amount will be shared among several states, with Florida to receive… Read More »
Volusia County Hospital Accused of Submitting $200 Million in False Claims
Halifax Hospital Medical Center (“Halifax”), in Daytona Beach, Florida, is preparing to battle the United States in what could be the largest whistleblower case of its kind in the nation. According to whistleblower Elin Baklid-Kunz, Halifax violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to Medicare and Medicaid for unnecessary hospital admissions and inappropriate… Read More »
Mississippi Jury Finds State Farm Violated Federal False Claims Act
A federal jury in Gulfport, Mississippi has decided that insurance giant State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. committed fraud against the U.S. government when it submitted false claims to the National Flood Insurance Program after Hurricane Katrina. The case was brought as a whistleblower lawsuit under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims… Read More »
6th Circuit Reverses False Claims Act Judgment for Medicare Rule Violations
This week, in United States ex rel. Hobbs v. MedQuest Associates, Inc., No. 11-6520, 2013 WL 1285590 (6th Cir. Apr. 1, 2013), the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed an $11 million judgment as untenable under the False Claims Act. The claims against MedQuest, an “independent diagnostic testing facility,” were premised on its failure… Read More »
Fluor Hanford Agrees to Settle Whistleblower Suit
Fluor Hanford, Inc. and its parent corporation, Fluor Corporation (collectively “Fluor”) headquartered in Texas have agreed to settle a qui tam suit. The lawsuit was initially brought by Loydene Rambo, a former Fluor employee, in 2011 under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. The settlement resolves allegations relating to Fluor’s contract… Read More »
University of California Settles Whistleblower Suit
A whistleblower suit targeting the anesthesiology department at UCI Medical Center has been settled for $1.2 million. According to the government, the settlement resolves a lawsuit filed in 2008 under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by Dr. Dennis O’Connor, a former professor of anesthesiology at the UCI School of Medicine…. Read More »
Provider of Office Supplies and Equipment Agrees to Settle Qui Tam Suit
CDW-Government, LLC (“CDW-G”), a subsidiary of CDW Corporation based in Vernon Hills, Illinois, has agreed to settle a whistleblower suit for $5.6 million. According to CDW’s website, it is a leading provider of technology solutions for business, government, education and healthcare, with net sales of $10.1 billion in 2012. According to the U.S. Department… Read More »
Government Contractors Agree to Settle False Claims Act Case for $3 Million
Three government contractors, American Systems Corporation (“ASC”); Anixter International, Inc. (“Anixter”); and Corning Cable Systems LC (“Corning”), have agreed to settle charges that they violated the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute. According to the government, in 2009, ASC and Anixter teamed together to bid on a contract with the CIA to provide supplies… Read More »