Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Multi-Million Dollar Whistleblower Award Issued In Health Care Billing Fraud False Claims Act Case
On July 20th, 2022, the United States Attorneys’ Office for the District of Massachusetts announced that Inform Diagnostics—a Texas based medical industry company that previously operated Miraca Life Sciences—has agreed to pay $16 million as part of a health care billing fraud case. The False Claims Act settlement includes a nearly $2.75 million whistleblower… Read More »
Major False Claims Act Settlement: Pharmaceutical Company Will Pay $900 Million
According to a report from Reuters, Biogen—the American multinational pharmaceutical giant with headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts—has reached an agreement in principle to pay approximately $900 million to resolve a False Claims Act lawsuit. The preliminary settlement was reached days before the trial was set to begin. The pharmaceutical company was accused of paying illegal… Read More »
Long-Term Care Company Pays More Than $5.5 Million In Whistleblower-Initiated False Claims Act Case
On August 10th, 2022, the United States Attorneys’ Office for the Southern District of Indiana announced that American Senior Communities, L.L.C (ASC)—a long-term care company with a main headquarters in Indianapolis, IN—will pay more than $5.5 million to resolve a False Claims Act lawsuit. The case involves allegations of Medicare billing fraud. Here, our… Read More »
DOJ Says Supreme Court Should Not Review False Claims Act Dispute
According to a report from Reuters, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is saying that the Supreme Court of the United States should not review a False Claims Act dispute. The DOJ contends that there is no sufficiently large circuit split for the nation’s top court to get involved in the matter. Here, our whistleblower… Read More »
False Claims Act: North Carolina Health Company Pays $2.1 Million To Resolve Medicaid Billing Fraud Case
On June 1st, 2022, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina announced that Healthkeeperz, Inc.—a health care behavioral services company with a main office in Robeson County, NC—has agreed to pay more than $2 million to resolve an improper Medicaid billing case. The legal claim was initiated by a… Read More »
What Constitutes A Protected Activity Under The Florida Whistleblower Act?
The Florida Whistleblower Act is a law that establishes and protects the rights of whistleblowers. A whistleblower who is engaged in “protected activity” cannot be terminated or otherwise punished by an employer because of that conduct. This raises an important question: What is a protected activity in a whistleblower case? The short answer is… Read More »
Health Company Pays $4.625 Million To Resolve False Claims Act Lawsuit
On June 21st, 2022, the United States District Attorneys’ Office for the District of Massachusetts announced a $4.625 million settlement in a major False Claims Act case. The lawsuit—which was initiated by whistleblowers as part of a qui tam claim—was brought against Molina Healthcare, Inc. and one of its former subsidiary companies called Pathways… Read More »
Two Miami Police Officers Seek Whistleblower Protection Under Federal Law
According to a report from NBC 6 South Florida, two officers from the Miami Police Department are accusing the city’s lead cop—Police Chief Manuel A. Morales—of corruption. The officers are now seeking whistleblower protection. Chief Morales has thus far denied any allegations of wrongdoing by himself or the department. Indeed, he called the accusation… Read More »
Three Florida Pharmacies Agree To Pay More Than $830,000 In False Claims Act Case
On June 29th, 2022, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida confirmed that three Miami-Dade County pharmacies—Habana Hospital Pharmacy, Inc., Longevity Drugs, LLC, and Forest Hill Pharmacy, LLC—have agreed to pay more than $830,000 as a part of a False Claims Act case. Regulators determined that the pharmacies had an… Read More »
Understanding The False Claims Act: What Is Scienter?
The False Claims Act is one of the most powerful whistleblower protection statutes. Under the False Claims Act, a whistleblower with knowledge of fraud against a federal government program can bring a qui tam lawsuit action against the responsible party. If a qui tam lawsuit is successful, the whistleblower is entitled to receive a… Read More »
