Using the False Claims Act to Combat Environmental Fraud

March 02, 2016 | Posted By: Hoyer Law Group, PLLC

On February 29, 2016, Lockheed Martin Corporation and subsidiaries Lockheed Martin Energy Systems and Lockheed Martin Utility Services agreed to pay the United States $5 million to resolve allegations that they violated the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and, in misrepresenting their compliance with RCRA to the Department of Energy (DOE), knowingly submitted false […]

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Olympus Med Equip Co. to Pay $646 Million Over Kickbacks & Bribes

March 01, 2016 | Posted By: Hoyer Law Group, PLLC

The largest distributor of endoscopes and related equipment in the United States, Olympus Corporation, will pay $623.2 million to resolve criminal charges and civil claims relating to a scheme to pay kickbacks to doctors and hospitals, the Department of Justice announced today. The Justice Department’s Criminal Division also announced that a subsidiary of the distributor […]

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Better Year for IRS Whistleblowers in 2015

February 29, 2016 | Posted By: Hoyer Law Group, PLLC

The IRS Whistleblower Program’s annual report to Congress for FY 2015 shows the IRS paid more than $103 million to whistleblowers in FY 2015. That is a big increase, nearly doubling the amount in awards granted in FY 2014, which was $52 million. The IRS Whistleblower Program was revised and expanded by Congress in 2006. […]

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Pfizer Settles Whistleblower Case on Heartburn Med Protonix for $785M

February 16, 2016 | Posted By: Hoyer Law Group, PLLC

Pfizer has agreed to pay $784.6 million to settle claims that it overcharged Medicaid for its heartburn medicine Protonix. The agreement marks one of the biggest settlements to date from drugmakers facing similar allegations, according to FiercePharma. In the case, in which the US Department of Justice joined a whistleblower lawsuit against Wyeth in 2009, the […]

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How Justice Scalia’s Death Could Impact Pending Whistleblower Case

February 15, 2016 | Posted By: Hoyer Law Group, PLLC

Credit: Steve Petteway, Staff Photographer of the Supreme Court As reported around the world this weekend, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away of natural causes at the age of 79. Justice Scalia, who at the time of his death was the longest serving Supreme Court justice, was the most outspoken and arguably the most […]

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Former Prosecutor Chris Hoyer Talks about Fighting the Mob in Tampa

January 19, 2016 | Posted By: Hoyer Law Group, PLLC

Chris Hoyer interviewed by ABC I-team reporter Adam Walser Bringing down the mob in Tampa was one of most important jobs James Hoyer founding partners Bill James and Chris Hoyer tackled as federal prosecutors decades ago. It was a battle fraught with danger and one that Hoyer rarely talks about. He broke his silence in an interview […]

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Nursing Home Giant to Pay $125 Million in Whistleblower Case

January 13, 2016 | Posted By: Hoyer Law Group, PLLC

Nursing home therapy giant RehabCare has agreed to pay the government $125 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit alleging it knowingly caused facilities it contracted with to inappropriately bill Medicare for services. Money from the settlement will be returned to the taxpayers, under the False Claims Act. The FCA makes it possible for private citizens […]

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What’s on tap for Whistleblowers in 2016?

January 06, 2016 | Posted By: Hoyer Law Group, PLLC

For the 2015 fiscal year, the United States Department of Justice reported that whistleblowers helped the government recover more than $3.5 billion for the fourth year in a row, bringing the total recoveries from January 2009 to the end of the fiscal year to $26.4 billion. While this amount is down from the 2014 record of $5.7 billion, […]

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Supreme Court to Rule on Implied Certification Qui Tam Liability

December 07, 2015 | Posted By: Hoyer Law Group, PLLC

Updating on our previous post, on Friday, December 4th, the United States Supreme Court accepted certiorari in the case Universal Health Services v. United States ex rel. Escobar. As described by the ScotusBlog, the important issues related to qui tam liability presented to the High Court are: whether the “implied certification” theory of legal falsity under […]

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Nearly $4 Billion Recovered in 2015 Whistleblower Cases

December 04, 2015 | Posted By: Hoyer Law Group, PLLC

For the 4th year in a row, the Department of Justice recovered more than $3.5 billion in settlements and judgements in False Claims Act cases for fraud against the government. “The False Claims Act has again proven to be the government’s most effective civil tool to ferret out fraud and return billions to taxpayer-funded programs,” […]

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CNBC report on how Big Pharma exploits ‘Orphan Drug’ status for profit

December 03, 2015 | Posted By: Hoyer Law Group, PLLC

An in depth report by CNBC looks at the issue of big pharma exploiting orphan drug status to generate huge profits for blockbuster medications. It highlights a new study by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine which is raising concerns. Here is an excerpt: A new study from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine questions […]

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Supreme Court May Soon Consider Liability Theory for Whistleblower Cases

November 24, 2015 | Posted By: Hoyer Law Group, PLLC

Petitions for certiorari are before the Supreme Court of the United States asking that the Court resolve an important issue impacting False Claims Act liability for government contractors. The issue is whether implied certification of compliance with government contracts and regulations can be actionable in a qui tam lawsuit. The two cases that prompted the petitions […]

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