July 26, 2021
As the United States emerges from the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Biden Administration settles in, the U.S. government and qui tam relators continue to churn out litigation and investigations under the False Claims Act (“FCA”), the government’s primary tool for combatting fraud against the federal fisc.
Six months ago, in our 2020 Year-End FCA Update, we explored what the new Biden Administration’s priorities might be and whether they would alter FCA enforcement. To date, there have been no major shifts in overarching policy, but the contours of the Biden Administration’s priorities are emerging. And, with nearly $400 million in FCA settlements in the first half of the year, more aggressive and forward-leaning FCA enforcement may well be on the horizon. Indeed, the Biden Administration forecasts that its efforts to root out COVID-19-related fraud will result in “significant cases and recoveries” under the FCA.
Meanwhile, federal courts issued several significant decisions in the first half of 2021, including important decisions exploring the use of statistical evidence in FCA cases, causation in fraudulent inducement cases, alleged “fraud on the FDA,” liability based on Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”) violations, the FCA’s materiality requirement, and DOJ’s discretion to dismiss qui tam cases where the government has not intervened.
Below, we begin by summarizing recent enforcement activity, then provide an overview of notable legislative and policy developments at the federal and state levels, and finally analyze significant court decisions from the past six months. Gibson Dunn’s recent publications regarding the FCA may be found on our website, including in-depth discussions of the FCA’s framework and operation, industry-specific presentations, and practical guidance to help companies avoid or limit liability under the FCA. And, of course, we would be happy to discuss these developments—and their implications for your business—with you.
Momentum continued to build on the FCA enforcement front during 2021’s first half, as DOJ announced a number of FCA resolutions totaling more than $393 million. Although the number of resolutions demonstrated a continued high level of enforcement activity, these resolutions did not include any blockbuster settlements by historical standards; DOJ did not announce any nine-figure settlements in the first half of the year.
Below, we summarize the most notable settlements thus far in 2021, with a focus on the industries and theories of liability involved. Consistent with historical trends, a majority of FCA recoveries from enforcement actions for the first half of this year have involved health care and life sciences entities, including alleged violations of the AKS, but DOJ also announced several resolutions in the government contracting and procurement space.
FCA resolutions in the health care and life sciences industries totaled more than $228 million. Consistent with historical trends, this made up the largest share of overall recoveries of any industry. Of the 27 resolutions summarized below, at least five included a Corporate Integrity Agreement.
Settlement amounts to resolve liability under the FCA in the government contracting and procurement space totaled more than $165 million in the first half of 2021.
During the first half of 2021, DOJ has maintained its focus on COVID-19-related fraud. In a February 17, 2021 speech at the Federal Bar Association Qui Tam Conference, Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton outlined the Civil Division’s key enforcement priorities and placed pandemic-related fraud at the top of the list.[40] Acting AAG Boynton described ongoing efforts by DOJ and its agency partners to “identify, monitor, and investigate the misuse of critical pandemic relief monies,” and also expressed confidence that DOJ’s devotion of resources to this effort will be worthwhile: “The vast majority of the funds distributed under [pandemic relief] programs have gone to eligible recipients. Unfortunately, however, some individuals an1 businesses applied for—and received—payments to which they were not entitled.”[42]
In his remarks, Acting AAG Boynton highlighted DOJ’s first civil settlement under the PPP.[42] The settlement was small (only $100,000), but marked the first such settlement related to COVID PPP funds and resolved claims a company had violated the FCA and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA) based on allegations the company “made false statements to federally insured banks that [it] was not in bankruptcy in order to influence those banks to approve, and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to guarantee” a PPP loan.[43] And while the PPP-related settlement did not involve a qui tam relator, in March, DOJ confirmed what many in the defense bar have long known or suspected—namely that “whistleblower complaints have been on the rise” during the COVID-19 pandemic.[44]
The other priorities Acting AAG Boynton outlined in his February speech also reveal that DOJ views pandemic-related fraud as extending beyond relief programs implemented during the pandemic. For example, in discussing DOJ’s continued focus on the opioid crisis, Acting AAG Boynton characterized the crisis as “not new, but . . . exacerbated by the pandemic.”[45] Similarly, he attributed DOJ’s “continued focus on telehealth schemes” in part to “the expansion of telehealth during the pandemic.”[46] These remarks make clear that DOJ has not lost sight of pre-pandemic enforcement priorities, in addition to focusing on fraud tied to government programs that are themselves creatures of the pandemic.
Under the Trump administration, DOJ took prominent steps to assert DOJ’s control of FCA lawsuits. Specifically, on January 10, 2018, Michael Granston, the then-Director of the Fraud Section of DOJ’s Civil Division, issued a memorandum directing government lawyers evaluating a recommendation to decline intervention in a qui tam FCA action to “consider whether the government’s interests are served . . . by seeking dismissal pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 3730(c)(2)(A).”[47] That policy was then formally incorporated into the Justice Manual. After that, DOJ became noticeably more willing to seek dismissal of certain FCA cases.
Thus far in 2021, the Biden Administration has not signaled whether it plans to scale back DOJ’s efforts to dismiss certain qui tam suits. Nor has the Administration disavowed the principles outlined in the Granston Memo or Justice Manual. However, statements by DOJ officials in the last six months suggest that DOJ may be adapting its approach to qui tam enforcement by enhancing the government’s own ability to identify and pursue FCA violations without prompting from relators. In his February speech, Acting AAG Boynton stated explicitly that observers can “expect the Civil Division to continue to expand its own efforts to identify potential fraudsters, including its reliance on various types of data analysis.”[48] He went on to discuss “sophisticated analyses of Medicare data” by DOJ “to uncover potential fraud schemes that have not been identified by whistleblower suits, as well as to help analyze and support the allegations that we do receive from such suits.”[49]
While the Biden Administration DOJ explores its options, there has been continued criticism by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) of DOJ’s use of its dismissal authority under the FCA. A week after Acting AAG Boynton’s remarks, Senator Grassley wrote to then-Attorney General Nominee Merrick Garland that “it is up to the courts, through a hearing, to determine whether or not a [qui tam] case lacks merit.”[50] According to Senator Grassley, “[t]he Justice Department is not, and cannot be, the judge, jury, and executioner of a relator’s claim.”[51] Senator Grassley asserted that he is “working with a cadre of bipartisan Senate colleagues to draft legislation that will further strengthen and improve the False Claims Act.”[52]
While the degree of DOJ involvement in this legislative effort—and the extent to which it addresses DOJ’s dismissal authority—remains to be seen, the balance between DOJ-pursued FCA cases and relator-driven matters may shift. On one level, increased leveraging of data analytics could result in less reliance on relators overall, and therefore fewer situations in which DOJ attempts to exercise its dismissal authority and risks making bad law. On another, an increase in the volume and sophistication of DOJ’s data analyses of cases that do involve relators could better position DOJ to make merits-based arguments in favor of dismissal in the event that judicial scrutiny of those decisions ratchets up.
In January 2018, then-Associate Attorney General (the third-ranking position at DOJ) Rachel Brand issued a memorandum titled “Limiting Use of Agency Guidance Documents In Affirmative Civil Enforcement Cases.”[53] The so-called “Brand Memo” expressly asserted that “[g]uidance documents” issued without notice-and-comment rulemaking “cannot create binding requirements that do not already exist by statute or regulation.”[54] Therefore, the Brand Memo stated that DOJ “may not use compliance with guidance documents as a basis for proving violations of applicable law in [affirmative civil enforcement] cases.”[55] The Brand Memo also explained that DOJ “should not treat a party’s noncompliance with an agency guidance document as presumptively or conclusively establishing that the party violated the applicable statute or regulation.”[56] Despite its brevity—under two pages—the Brand Memo represented a substantial policy change for civil enforcement, especially for the FCA. In December 2018, DOJ issued new section 1-20.000 of the Justice Manual, “Limitation on Use of Guidance Documents in Litigation,” which incorporated the Brand Memo and explained that, with some important caveats—such as the use of “awareness of [a] guidance document” as evidence of scienter—DOJ “should not treat a party’s noncompliance with a guidance document as itself a violation of applicable statutes or regulations.”[57]
Under the Biden Administration, DOJ may marginalize the Brand Memo. On the day he was inaugurated, President Biden issued an executive order that signaled an expected shift from the Trump Administration’s skepticism of agencies toward greater deference to agency expertise and guidance. Executive Order 13992 revoked six Trump executive orders relating to agency regulation.[58] This included revoking Trump’s Executive Order 13891 (“Promoting the Rule of Law Through Improved Agency Guidance Documents”), which required that “agencies treat guidance documents as non-binding both in law and in practice, except as incorporated into a contract” and stated as a matter of executive policy that “[a]gencies may impose legally binding requirements on the public only through regulations and on parties on a case-by-case basis through adjudications.”[59]
President Biden’s order noted that “executive departments and agencies . . . must be equipped with the flexibility to use robust regulatory action to address national priorities,” which include addressing the “coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, economic recovery, racial justice, and climate change” (emphasis added).[60] Although Executive Order 13992 does not expressly refer to DOJ’s civil enforcement or the FCA, the Order may foster a climate in which DOJ is more willing to use sub-regulatory guidance as the basis for FCA allegations. Such a change would both allow for broader FCA enforcement and signal support for the expertise of agencies in promulgating external-facing guidance. Likewise, as companies continue to adapt to DOJ’s efforts to root out fraud in government programs, a renewed focus on agency guidance could change the risk calculus built into corporate compliance programs and internal investigation efforts.
The federal government provides incentives for states to conform their false claims statutes to the federal FCA. In particular, HHS-OIG grants “a 10-percentage-point increase” in a state’s share of any recoveries under the relevant laws to any state that obtains HHS-OIG approval for its false claims statute.[61] Such approval requires that the statute in question, among other requirements, “contain provisions that are at least as effective in rewarding and facilitating qui tam actions for false or fraudulent claims as those described in the [federal] FCA.”[62] The statute is also required to contain a 60-day sealing provision and “a civil penalty that is not less than the amount of the civil penalty authorized under the [federal] FCA.”[63] The total number of states with approved statutes is now twenty-two, with Minnesota having obtained approval on May 27, 2021.[64] That leaves seven states—Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Wisconsin—with false claims statutes listed by HHS-OIG as “not approved.”[65]
There have been several other notable developments in state-level false claims legislation in the first half of this year.
The first half of 2021 saw a number of notable federal appellate court decisions, which we have summarized below.
In United States ex rel. Cimino v. International Business Machines Corp., the D.C. Circuit issued an important opinion exploring the contours of the “fraudulent inducement” theory of FCA liability, under which an initial fraud during procurement of a contract allegedly results in liability for all claims submitted to the federal government under that contract. No. 19-7139, 2021 WL 2799946 (D.C. Cir. July 6, 2021). In its decision, the D.C. Circuit imposed important limits on the fraudulent inducement theory by requiring a relator to plead (and ultimately prove) but-for causation.
The Cimino case involved allegations that IBM had “violated the FCA by (1) using a false audit to fraudulently induce the IRS to enter into a $265 million license agreement for software the IRS did not want or need, and (2) presenting false claims for payment for software that the IRS never received.” Id. at *1. In evaluating what it deemed an issue of first impression, the D.C. Circuit undertook an in-depth review of fraudulent inducement cases under the FCA, and the Supreme Court’s most recent opinions in FCA cases, to conclude that “a successful claim for fraudulent inducement requires demonstrating that a defendant’s fraud caused the government to enter a contract that later results in a request for payment.” Id. at *4. The court explained that the critical question for “liability under the FCA for fraudulent inducement must turn on whether the fraud caused the government to contract.” Id. Turning to what standard of causation applied, the court rejected a lesser standard urged by the Relator and instead held that the FCA requires the relator or government “to allege actual cause under the but-for test,” which required the relator in Cimino to “provide sufficient facts for the court to draw a reasonable inference that IBM’s false audit caused the IRS to enter the license agreement.” Id. at *6 (emphasis added). Notably, the court also rejected relator’s argument that causation was encompassed within the FCA’s materiality requirement, and did not need to be pled separately. The court instead recognized that “a plaintiff must plead both causation and materiality,” id. at *7, and that those are “separate elements that we cannot conflate,” id. at *5.
Applying these standards, the D.C. Circuit concluded that the Relator had met his pleading burden in this particular case. But by setting forth this rigorous analysis of the causation and materiality requirements under the FCA in fraudulent inducement cases, the court also charted a course for defendants facing liability under similar circumstances. Where a relator does not plead that a defendants conduct actually caused the government to enter into the underlying contract, a fraudulent inducement theory should not be able to move forward.
Turning to relator’s second theory, the court did dismiss certain claims under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b) (which requires pleading fraud claims with particularity). Applying a strict form of Rule 9(b), the court concluded that the relator failed to plead certain claims with sufficient particularity because he did not plead “when the false claims were presented and who presented those claims.” Id. at *9.
Finally, in a concurrence, Circuit Judge Rao went a step further and questioned whether fraudulent inducement is even a valid theory under the FCA. Applying a textualist framework, he argued that “[t]he text of the FCA does not readily suggest liability for fraudulent inducement as a separate cause of action.” Id. at *9 (Rao, J., concurring). The concurrence explained that courts across the country have long accepted fraudulent inducement theories based largely on an eighty-year-old Supreme Court FCA decision in United States ex rel. Marcus v. Hess, 317 U.S. 537 (1943), superseded by statute on other grounds, Act of Dec. 23, 1943, ch. 377, 57 Stat. 608, 609. See Cimino, 2021 WL 2799946, at *10. But Judge Rao said that decision is “hardly a model of clarity regarding the existence of a fraudulent inducement cause of action,” and suggested that a “reconsideration of a fraudulent inducement cause of action may be warranted because it exists in some tension with recent Supreme Court decisions” that emphasize the text of the statute over its purpose. Id. at *11. We will be watching carefully to see if other courts take up this project of reconsideration.
In Universal Health Services v. United States ex rel. Escobar, 136 S. Ct. 1989 (2016), the Supreme Court directed the district courts to scrutinize whether plaintiffs have alleged facts sufficient to satisfy the “rigorous” and “demanding” materiality standard the FCA imposes. The Supreme Court also emphasized that the government’s decision to continue paying claims, despite knowledge of an alleged deficiency with those claims, is “very strong evidence” that those issues are not material for purposes of the FCA. Since then, the federal courts have grappled with the impact of these instructions.
Earlier this year, the Eleventh Circuit addressed this issue in United States ex. rel. Bibby v. Mortgage Investors Corp., 987 F.3d 1340 (11th Cir. 2021), cert. denied sub nom. Mortg. Invs. Corp. v. United States ex rel. Bibby, No. 20-1463, 2021 WL 1951877, at *1 (U.S. May 17, 2021). In Bibby, the relators alleged that lenders were charging fees prohibited by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) regulations (attorneys’ fees) while certifying that they charged only permissible fees (title examination and insurance fees) by bundling them together. Id. at 1343-45. The district court granted summary judgment for the lender defendants on materiality grounds in light of the fact that the government continued to pay the claims after being on notice of the alleged issue. See id. at 1346
The Eleventh Circuit reversed, holding that genuine issues of material fact precluded summary judgment. Id. There was no dispute that the VA was aware of the lenders’ noncompliance with fee requirements, so the issue of material fact was how the VA reacted to the knowledge that the lenders were charging prohibited fees. Id. at 1349-50. The court acknowledged that the government’s payment decision is typically relevant to the materiality inquiry, but asserted that the relevance of that fact “var[ies] depending on the circumstances.” Id. at 1350. In this case, the Eleventh Circuit found it significant that “[o]nce the VA issues guaranties, it is required by law to honor those guaranties” and pay holders in due course, “regardless of any fraud by the original lender.” Id.
Having decided to “divorce [its] analysis from a strict focus on the government’s payment decision,” the court “s[aw] no reason to limit [its] view only to the VA’s issuance of guaranties.” Id. at 1351. Instead, the court reviewed “the VA’s behavior holistically” and found evidence of materiality in a VA circular sent to lenders reminding them of the applicable fee regulations, as well as the VA’s implementation of “more frequent and more rigorous audits.” Id. Although the VA neither revoked payment on guaranties of loans with purportedly fraudulent fees nor prohibited those lenders from participating in the program, the court determined that those facts did not answer the materiality question on their own. See id. at 1352. In ultimately concluding that the question of materiality in this case was one for the fact finder, the panel again emphasized that “the materiality test is holistic, with no single element—including the government’s knowledge and its enforcement action—being dispositive.” Id.
The Supreme Court denied the petition for writ of certiorari on May 17, 2021. Bibby, 2021 WL 1951877, at *1. The Eleventh Circuit court’s decision in Bibby stands as an indicator that the meaning of Escobar continues to evolve.
Courts have continued to clarify pleading requirements for FCA claims under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 8(a) and 9(b).
In Integra Med Analytics LLC v. Providence Health & Services, No. 19-56367, 2021 WL 1233378, at *1 (9th Cir. Mar. 31, 2021), a Ninth Circuit panel held that Integra’s statistical analysis of publicly available data—allegedly demonstrating that Providence Health submitted Medicare claims “with higher-paying diagnosis codes” than other comparable institutions—was not enough to plead falsity when Integra had failed to rule out an “obvious alternative explanation” and therefore failed to meet the Rule 8(a) requirement for pleading a plausible claim for relief. Id. at *1, *3 (citing Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 557 (2007)).
The court noted that Integra, in its pleading, had not ruled out an alternative explanation for why Providence Health’s claim submissions included more Medicare reimbursement codes—in this case, major complication or comorbidity (“MCC”) codes—than other institutions: namely that Providence, with the assistance of third-party billing consultant JATA aimed at improving its Medicare billing practices, was “at the forefront of a national trend toward coding these relevant MCCs at a higher rate.” Id. at *4. Absent any insider information alleging otherwise, the court found that Integra offered only a “possible explanation” for the results of its statistical analysis (i.e., that Providence was directing its doctors to falsify claims) and ignored that the statistical analysis could also support a “plausible alternative (and legal) explanation.” Id. (emphasis in original). Thus, the court stated “[w]e need not accept the conclusion that the defendant engaged in unlawful conduct when its actions are in line with lawful ‘rational and competitive business strategy.’” Id. (citation omitted).
Although the Ninth Circuit’s decision should reduce the weight courts are willing to attribute to the findings of statistical analyses at the pleading stage FCA cases, the court expressly noted in a footnote that its decision was not “categorically preclud[ing]” the use of statistical data to meet the FRCP 8(a) and 9(b) pleading requirements. Id. at *4 n.5.
Similarly, in Estate of Helmly v. Bethany Hospice and Palliative Care of Coastal Georgia, LLC, the Eleventh Circuit upheld the dismissal with prejudice of a qui tam suit brought by two former employees against Bethany Hospice, reasoning that allegations based on numerical probability are mere inferences that do not suffice to plead fraud with particularity under Rule 9(b). No. 20-11624, 2021 WL 1609823, at *6 (11th Cir. Apr. 26, 2021).
In Helmly, the relators alleged that the defendant hospice violated the FCA by submitting false claims when it billed the government for services provided to patients obtained through a kickback scheme. Id. at *1. They argued that because a significant number of Medicare recipients were referred to the hospice, and because “all or nearly all” of the patients at the hospice received coverage from Medicare, it was mathematically plausible that the hospice had submitted to the government claims for patients obtained under kickback agreements. Id. at *4-6.
The Eleventh Circuit rejected this argument as the basis for an FCA claim, holding that relators failed to plead the submission of an actual false claim. Id. at *6. In order to meet Rule 9(b)’s particularity requirement, a complaint “must allege actual submission of a false claim” and must do so with “some indicia of reliability.” Id., at *5 (citing Carrel v. AIDS Healthcare Found., Inc., 898 F.3d 1267, 1275 (11th Cir. 2018)) (internal quotation marks omitted). The Helmly court held that “numerical probability is not an indicium of reliability” sufficient to “meet Rule 9(b)’s particularity requirement.” Id. at *6. “[R]elators cannot ‘rely on mathematical probability to conclude that [a defendant] surely must have submitted a false claim at some point.’” Id. (quoting Carrel, 898 F.3d at 1277) (second alteration in original).
These decisions demonstrate that the pleading stage of an FCA claim requires greater specificity than many relators have typically supplied. Regardless of what the alleged core FCA claim may entail, courts are likely to require plaintiffs to clearly connect the dots and provide more concrete evidence of falsity to survive a motion to dismiss.
This past spring, the Ninth Circuit reaffirmed that “fraud-on-the-FDA” theories may state a valid FCA claim sufficient to survive a motion to dismiss in certain circumstances. United States ex rel. Dan Abrams Co. LLC v. Medtronic Inc., 850 Fed. App’x 508 (9th Cir. 2021). In Medtronic, the relator alleged, among other claims, that the defendant fraudulently obtained FDA 510(k) clearance for several devices used in spinal fusion surgeries. Id. at 510. According to the relator, some of these devices could only be used for a contraindicated use, and could not be used as indicated in defendant’s 510(k) submissions at all (the “Contraindicated-only Devices”). Id. As such, the relator alleged that these devices were not properly approved or cleared by the FDA and thus would have been ineligible for reimbursement under Medicare but for the defendant’s alleged fraud. Id. The district court dismissed these fraud-on-the-FDA allegations for failure to state a claim because the allegations were offered “solely as a predicate for the claim that the [devices] were intended for off-label use” and “the federal government allows reimbursement for off-label and even contraindicated uses.” Id. at 511.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed most of the district court’s dismissal of relators’ claims, but reversed the district court’s holding as to the Contraindicated-only Devices, holding that the FCA may serve as a vehicle to bring a fraud-on-the-FDA claim here. Citing United States ex rel. Campie v. Gilead Sciences, Inc., 862 F.3d 890, 899 (9th Cir. 2017), the court concluded that for the Contraindicated-only Devices, the relator did not merely allege off-label use; rather, the relator alleged that the devices were not properly cleared for any use by the FDA. Because the Contraindicated-only Devices could “only be used for their contraindicated use,” and disclosures about that intended use are “precisely those that the FDA considers in granting Class II certification,” the court held that Medtronic’s alleged fraud went “to the very essence of the bargain” and therefore could proceed as a fraud-on-the-FDA claim. Medtronic, 850 Fed. App’x at 511. Although the Ninth Circuit recognized that other jurisdictions had previously “cautioned against allowing claims under the [FCA] to wade into the FDA’s regulatory regime[,]” citing Campie, 862 F.3d. at 905, Ninth Circuit precedent allowed a relator’s fraud-on-the-FDA theory to move forward. Id.
Relator’s other claims—such as the allegation that the defendant promoted off-label and contraindicated uses of certain devices—were dismissed because the devices included those that could be used for their stated intended use but were contraindicated for use elsewhere. Id. *3. The panel affirmed dismissal of the relator’s claim that defendant violated the AKS by entering into improper rebate agreements with hospitals and offering kickbacks to physicians for certain business development events. Id. at *511–12. The Ninth Circuit stated that the AKS does not include discounts offered to providers if they are properly disclosed and reflected in charges to the federal program. Moreover, the relator failed to explain how defendant’s rebate agreement violated the statute or to state sufficiently specific allegations related to physician kickbacks. Id.
The Fourth Circuit’s ruling earlier this year in United States v. Mallory, 988 F.3d 730 (4th Cir. 2021), serves as a reminder of the risk of compensating independent contractors for marketing activities in light of HHS-OIG guidance on whether such compensation falls within an AKS safe harbor. In Mallory, a laboratory that provided blood testing for cardiovascular disease and diabetes contracted with a consulting company to market and sell the blood tests. The consulting company received a base payment and a percentage of revenue based on the number of blood tests ordered. Based on the evidence presented at trial, the jury found that the laboratory’s revenue-based commission payments to its sales agents constituted improper remuneration that was intended to induce the sales agents to sell as many laboratory tests as possible. See United States ex rel. Lutz v. BlueWave Healthcare Consultants, Inc., No. 9:11-CV-1593-RMG, 2018 WL 11282049, at *1 (D.S.C. May 23, 2018), aff’d sub nom. United States v. Mallory, 988 F.3d 730 (4th Cir. 2021).
Defendants argued on appeal that the government failed to prove that the defendants “knowingly and willfully” violated the AKS and that, accordingly, the defendants could not have “knowingly” violated the FCA. Mallory, 988 F.3d at 736. The Fourth Circuit found those arguments unconvincing given that, in the course of attempting to assert an advice-of-counsel defense, the defendants were unable to “identify any specific legal opinion” that could support a “good-faith belief that their conduct . . . did not violate the Anti-Kickback Statute.” Id. at 739. To the contrary, the Government offered evidence that several attorneys had expressed concerns to the defendants regarding possible AKS violations in the arrangements. Id. at 736–37.
The defendants also argued on appeal that commissions to independent contractor salespeople do not constitute kickbacks under the AKS. Although the court noted that the AKS does contain a safe harbor for bona fide employment relationships, it explained that HHS-OIG “has expressly recognized that this safe harbor does not cover independent contractors.” Id. at 738. The court discussed the history of the statutory safe harbor for commissions paid to salespeople who are “employee[s]” that have a “bona fide employment relationship” with their employer, 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)(3)(B), and HHS’s reasoning that if employers “desire to pay [ ] salesperson[s] on the basis of the amount of business they generate,” they “should make these salespersons employees” to avoid “civil or criminal prosecution.” 54 Fed. Reg. 3088, 3093 (Jan. 23, 1989). Because the amount of compensation in Mallory varied with the volume of the referrals, the court found that it fit squarely outside the bounds of the salesperson commission safe harbor. Mallory, 988 F.3d at 738.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed the jury’s findings and assessment of actual damages totaling more than $16 million for violations of FCA. Id. at 742; Lutz, 2018 WL 11282049, at *2–3. The court also affirmed the district court’s judgment, which totaled more than $100 million after the district court trebled the actual damages and added civil monetary penalties as required by the FCA. Lutz, 2018 WL 11282049, at *8.
In the final week of June, the Supreme Court denied a petition to review a Seventh Circuit decision regarding the proper standard to evaluate a government motion to dismiss a relator’s claim. See Cimznhca, LLC v. United States, No. 20-1138, 2021 WL 2637991 (U.S. June 28, 2021). Cimznhca’s appeal argued that the Seventh Circuit improperly expanded its jurisdiction by treating the government’s motion to dismiss also as a motion to intervene for purposes of dismissal, even though the government never sought to intervene.
As explained in Gibson Dunn’s 2020 Year-End Update and discussed above, DOJ has more regularly invoked its dismissal authority under 31 U.S.C. § 3730(c)(2)(A) since the Granston Memo was issued. In evaluating DOJ’s requests to dismiss, courts historically have split based on whether they followed the Ninth Circuit’s Sequoia Orange test or the D.C. Circuit’s Swift test in deciding whether the government may dismiss a qui tam case. Under the Sequoia Orange approach, the government may dismiss a qui tam case if: (1) it identifies a valid government purpose; (2) a rational relation exists between the dismissal and the accomplishment of that purpose; and (3) dismissal is not fraudulent, arbitrary and capricious, or illegal. United States ex rel. Sequoia Orange Co. v. Baird-Neece Packing Corp., 151 F.3d 1139, 1145 (9th Cir. 1998). The Swift test, by contrast, affords the government an “unfettered” right to dismiss a case such that the decision is “unreviewable” except in instances of “fraud on the court.” Swift v. United States, 318 F.3d 250, 252-53 (D.C. Cir. 2003). Both standards generally favor the government’s discretion, albeit to different degrees, and DOJ regularly argues in its motions to dismiss that it has sufficient discretion to dismiss a case under either standard.
In Cimznhca, the Seventh Circuit called the choice between the Sequoia Orange and Swift standards “a false one, based on a misunderstanding of the government’s rights and obligations under the False Claims Act.” United States v. UCB, Inc., 970 F.3d 835, 839 (7th Cir. 2020). Although it recognized the value of a Sequoia Orange-type standard focused on the outer constitutional limits on the exercise of the government’s prosecutorial discretion, the court stated that it believes the limit lies closer to the more-deferential Swift standard.
When moving for dismissal in the district court, the government argued that the allegations “lack[ed] sufficient merit to justify the cost of investigation and prosecution and [were] otherwise . . . contrary to the public interest.” Id. at 840. In reversing the district court’s denial of the government’s motion, the Seventh Circuit viewed the government’s motion as a motion to intervene and dismiss and held that Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41 (which governs voluntary dismissal by plaintiffs generally) supplied “the beginning and end of [the court’s] analysis.” Id. at 849. Turning to the Sequoia Orange and Swift standards, the court held that Sequoia Orange simply means that dismissal “may not violate the substantive component of the Due Process Clause,” id. at 851, which the court characterized as a “bare rationality standard” targeting “only the most egregious official conduct” that “shocks the conscience” or “offend[s] even hardened sensibilities,” id. at 852 (internal quotation marks omitted) (alteration in original). The court rejected the idea that the relatively formal nature of Section 3730(c)(2)(A) hearings “justif[ies] imposing on the government in each case the burden of satisfying Sequoia Orange’s ‘two-step test’ before the burden is put back on the relator to show unlawful executive conduct.” Id. at 853.
By declining to review the Cimznhca appeal, the Supreme Court left unresolved a growing circuit split over DOJ dismissals of whistleblower lawsuits. Accordingly, we may see other circuits apply either Sequoia Orange or Swift—or take the Seventh Circuit’s position in Cimznhca that the standard lies somewhere between the two and should primarily be informed by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41.
In February, the United States Supreme Court also declined to resolve a prominent split between federal courts of appeal regarding the FCA’s falsity standard. In denying petitions for writs of certiorari in Care Alternatives v. United States, — S. Ct. —, 2021 WL 666386 (Feb. 22, 2021), and RollinsNelson LTC Corp. v. U.S. ex rel. Winters, — S. Ct. —, 2021 WL 666435 (Feb. 22, 2021), the Court left unresolved whether FCA liability must be predicated on a claim that is objectively false based on verifiable facts, or whether a post hoc expert opinion can suffice to establish falsity (at least at the pleading stage). As we have written about here, this objective falsity issue joins a host of other FCA-related questions as to which the federal courts have been unable to provide uniform answers.
We will monitor these developments, along with other FCA legislative activity, settlements, and jurisprudence throughout the year and report back in our 2021 False Claims Act Year-End Update, which we will publish in January 2022.
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[1] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Western Dist. of WI, AutoGenomics, Inc. Agrees to Pay Over $2.5 Million for Allegedly Paying Kickbacks (Jan. 11, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwi/pr/autogenomics-inc-agrees-pay-over-25-million-allegedly-paying-kickbacks.
[2] See Press Release, Office of Pub. Affairs, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Florida Businesswoman Pleads Guilty to Criminal Health Care and Tax Fraud Charges and Agrees to $20.3 Million Civil False Claims Act Settlement (Feb. 4, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/florida-businesswoman-pleads-guilty-criminal-health-care-and-tax-fraud-charges-and-agrees-203.
[3] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Eastern Dist. of PA, Lancaster County Pharmacy and Pharmacist Agree to Resolve Civil Allegations of Dispensing Controlled Substances Without a Prescription and Falsely Billing Medicare for $2.9 Million (Feb. 25, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/lancaster-county-pharmacy-and-pharmacist-agree-resolve-civil-allegations-dispensing.
[4] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Middle Dist. of NC, Bioventus Agrees to Pay More Than $3.6 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Violations (Feb. 25, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdnc/pr/bioventus-agrees-pay-more-36-million-resolve-false-claims-act-violations.
[5] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Eastern Dist. of N.C., North Carolina Durable Medical Equipment Corporation Sentenced for $10 Million Healthcare Fraud Scheme, and the Company and Its Owner Agree to Pay Millions to Resolve Related Civil Claims (Mar. 2, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/north-carolina-durable-medical-equipment-corporation-sentenced-10-million-healthcare.
[6] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Western Dist. of VA, Allergy and Asthma Associates in Roanoke Pleads Guilty to Criminal Charge; Enters into Civil Resolution Over Health Care Fraud Allegations (Mar. 2, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdva/pr/allergy-and-asthma-associates-roanoke-pleads-guilty-criminal-charge-enters-civil.
[7] See Press Release, Office of Pub. Affairs, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Ohio Treatment Facilities and Corporate Parent Agree to Pay $10.25 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations of Kickbacks to Patients and Unnecessary Admissions (Mar. 5, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/ohio-treatment-facilities-and-corporate-parent-agree-pay-1025-million-resolve-false-claims.
[8] See Press Release, Office of Pub. Affairs, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Former Owners of Telemarketing Company Agree to Pay At Least $4 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations (Mar. 16, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-owners-telemarketing-company-agree-pay-least-4-million-resolve-false-claims-act.
[9] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Eastern Dist. of MI, Cardiologist Dinesh Shah Pays $2 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Excessive Testing (Mar. 18, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/cardiologist-dinesh-shah-pays-2-million-resolve-false-claims-act-allegations-relating.
[10] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Western Dist. of NC, Owner of Defunct Urine Drug Testing Laboratory Agrees to Pay Over $2 Million to Resolve Allegations of Participation in Kickback Schemes (Mar. 26, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdnc/pr/owner-defunct-urine-drug-testing-laboratory-agrees-pay-over-2-million-resolve; Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Western Dist. of NC, Court Enters $4.5 Million Judgment Against Owner of Defunct Urine Drug Testing Laboratory Resolving Allegations of Participation in Kickback Schemes (Mar. 30, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdnc/pr/court-enters-45-million-judgment-against-owner-defunct-urine-drug-testing-laboratory.
[11] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Eastern Dist. of PA, Bristol-Myers Squibb to Pay $75 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations of Underpayment of Drug Rebates Owed Through Medicaid (Apr. 1, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/bristol-myers-squibb-pay-75-million-resolve-false-claims-act-allegations-underpayment.
[12] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Dist. of SC, South Carolina’s Largest Urgent Care Provider and its Management Company to Pay $22.5 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations (Apr. 8, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/south-carolina-s-largest-urgent-care-provider-and-its-management-company-pay-225-million.
[13] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Dist. of MA, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Agrees to Pay $2.6 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations (Apr. 20, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/massachusetts-eye-and-ear-agrees-pay-26-million-resolve-false-claims-act-allegations.
[14] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for Middle Dist. of TN, Comprehensive Pain Specialists And Former Owners Agree To Pay $4.1 Million To Settle Fraud Allegations (Apr. 21, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdtn/pr/comprehensive-pain-specialists-and-former-owners-agree-pay-41-million-settle-fraud.
[15] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Southern Dist. of FL, Miami-Based CareCloud Health, Inc. Agrees to Pay $3.8 Million to Resolve Allegations that it Paid Illegal Kickbacks (Apr. 30, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/miami-based-carecloud-health-inc-agrees-pay-38-million-resolve-allegations-it-paid.
[16] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Dist. of SD, Neurosurgeon and Two Affiliated Companies Agree to Pay $4.4 Million to Settle Healthcare Fraud Allegations (May 3, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/neurosurgeon-and-two-affiliated-companies-agree-pay-44-million-settle-healthcare-fraud; Press Release, Office of Pub. Affairs, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Neurosurgeon and Two Affiliated Companies Agree to Pay $4.4 Million to Settle Healthcare Fraud Allegations (May 3, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/neurosurgeon-and-two-affiliated-companies-agree-pay-44-million-settle-health-care-fraud.
[17] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Eastern Dist. of PA, Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Agrees to Pay $12.6 Million to Resolve Allegations it Provided Kickbacks Through Donations to a Third-Party Charity (May 4, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/pharmaceutical-manufacturer-agrees-pay-126-million-resolve-allegations-it-provided; Press Release, Office of Pub. Affairs, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Incyte Corporation to Pay $12.6 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations for Paying Kickbacks (May 4, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/incyte-corporation-pay-126-million-resolve-false-claims-act-allegations-paying-kickbacks.
[18] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Dist. of AZ, Neurosurgical Associates, LTD and Dignity Health, D/B/A St. Joseph’s Hospital, Paid $10 Million to Resolve False Claims Allegations (May 5, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/pr/neurosurgical-associates-ltd-and-dignity-health-dba-st-josephs-hospital-paid-10-million.
[19] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Southern Dist. of FL, University of Miami to Pay $22 Million to Settle Claims Involving Medically Unnecessary Laboratory Tests and Fraudulent Billing Practices (May 10, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/university-miami-pay-22-million-settle-claims-involving-medically-unnecessary; Press Release, Office of Pub. Affairs, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, University of Miami to Pay $22 Million to Settle Claims Involving Medically Unnecessary Laboratory Tests and Fraudulent Billing Practices (May 10, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/university-miami-pay-22-million-settle-claims-involving-medically-unnecessary-laboratory; Office of Inspector Gen. of Dep’t of Health and Hum. Servs., Corporate Integrity Agreement Between the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services and University of Miami (2021), https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/cia/agreements/University_of_Miami_05072021.pdf.
[20] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Northern Dist. of GA, AlixaRx LLC Agrees to Pay $2.75 Million to Resolve Allegations that it Improperly Dispensed Controlled Substances at Long-Term Care Facilities (May 11, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/alixarx-llc-agrees-pay-275-million-resolve-allegations-it-improperly-dispensed.
[21] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Northern Dist. of TX, Dentists to Pay $3.1 Million to Resolve Allegations They Submitted False Claims for Services Not Provided to Underprivileged Children (May 14, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/dentists-pay-31-million-resolve-allegations-they-submitted-false-claims-services-not.
[22] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Eastern Dist. of PA, French Medical Device Manufacturer to Pay $2 Million to Resolve Alleged Kickbacks to Physicians and Related Medicare Open Payments Program Violations (May 19, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/french-medical-device-manufacturer-pay-2-million-resolve-alleged-kickbacks-physicians.
[23] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Eastern Dist. of PA, Atlanta-Based National Chain of Skilled Nursing Facilities to Pay $11.2 Million to Resolve Allegations of Providing Substandard Care, Medically Unnecessary Therapy Services (May 21, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/atlanta-based-national-chain-skilled-nursing-facilities-pay-112-million-resolve.
[24] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Western Dist. of NY, Upper Allegheny Health System To Pay $2.7 Million To Settle False Claims Act Allegations (May 25, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/pr/upper-allegheny-health-system-pay-27-million-settle-false-claims-act-allegations.
[25] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Southern Dist. of TX, Wrongful Billing Results in $2.6M Settlement and 10-Year Exclusion from Federal Health Care Programs (June 8, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/wrongful-billing-results-26m-settlement-and-10-year-exclusion-federal-health-care.
[26] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Middle Dist. of FL, Surgical Care Affiliates And Orlando Surgery Center Agree To Pay $3.4 Million To Settle False Claims Act Liability (June 28, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/surgical-care-affiliates-and-orlando-surgery-center-agree-pay-34-million-settle-false.
[27] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Dist. of CT, Connecticut Electrical Contractor Agrees to Pay $3.2 Million to Resolve Criminal and Civil Investigation (Jan. 8, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/connecticut-electrical-contractor-agrees-pay-32-million-resolve-criminal-and-civil.
[28] See Press Release, Office of Pub. Affairs, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Insitu Inc. to Pay $25 Million to Settle False Claims Act Case Alleging Knowing Overcharges on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Contracts (Jan. 12, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/insitu-inc-pay-25-million-settle-false-claims-act-case-alleging-knowing-overcharges-unmanned.
[29] See Press Release, Office of Pub. Affairs, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Concrete Contractor Agrees to Settle False Claims Act Allegations for $3.9 Million (Feb. 17, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/concrete-contractor-agrees-settle-false-claims-act-allegations-39-million.
[30] See Press Release, Office of Pub. Affairs, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Federal Contractor Agrees to Pay More Than $6 Million to Settle Overbilling Allegations (Feb. 19, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-contractor-agrees-pay-more-6-million-settle-overbilling-allegations.
[31] See Press Release, Office of Pub. Affairs, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, United Airlines to Pay $49 Million to Resolve Criminal Fraud Charges and Civil Claims (Feb. 26, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-airlines-pay-49-million-resolve-criminal-fraud-charges-and-civil-claims.
[32] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Eastern Dist. of PA, SAP Public Services, Inc. to Pay $2.2 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations (Mar. 1, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/sap-public-services-inc-pay-22-million-settle-false-claims-act-allegations.
[33] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for D.C., The International Rescue Committee (“IRC”) Agrees to Pay $6.9 Million to Settle Allegations That It Performed Procurement Fraud by Engaging in Collusive Behavior and Misconduct on Programs Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (Mar. 19, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/international-rescue-committee-irc-agrees-pay-69-million-settle-allegations-it-performed.
[34] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for Southern Dist. of CA, Tungsten Heavy Powder of San Diego Agrees to Pay $5.6 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations (Apr. 29, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/tungsten-heavy-powder-san-diego-agrees-pay-56-million-settle-false-claims-act.
[35] See Press Release, Office of Pub. Affairs, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Navistar Defense Agrees to Pay $50 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Involving Submission of Fraudulent Sales Histories (May 27, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/navistar-defense-agrees-pay-50-million-resolve-false-claims-act-allegations-involving.
[36] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for Eastern WA, CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company Agrees to Pay More than $3 Million to Settle Hanford Subcontract Small Business Fraud Allegations (June 3, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-edwa/pr/ch2m-hill-plateau-remediation-company-agrees-pay-more-3-million-settle-hanford.
[37] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for NJ, Avis Budget Group to Pay $10.1 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations for Overcharging United States on Rental Vehicles (June 10, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/avis-budget-group-pay-101-million-settle-false-claims-act-allegations-overcharging-united.
[38] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Eastern Dist. of VA, Level 3 Communications, LLC Agrees to Pay Over $12.7 Million to Settle Civil False Claims Act Allegations (June 25, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/level-3-communications-llc-agrees-pay-over-127-million-settle-civil-false-claims-act.
[39] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Eastern Dist. of VA, Armed Forces Services Corporation Pays $4.3 Million to Resolve Anti-Kickback Act and False Claims Act Allegations (June 30, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/armed-forces-services-corporation-pays-43-million-resolve-anti-kickback-act-and-false.
[40] Press Release, Office of Pub. Affairs, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton Delivers Remarks at the Federal Bar Association Qui Tam Conference (Feb. 17, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/acting-assistant-attorney-general-brian-m-boynton-delivers-remarks-federal-bar [hereinafter, “Boynton Speech”].
[43] See Press Release, U.S. Atty’s Office for the Eastern Dist. of CA., Eastern District of California Obtains Nation’s First Civil Settlement for Fraud on Cares Act Paycheck Protection Program (Jan. 12, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/eastern-district-california-obtains-nation-s-first-civil-settlement-fraud-cares-act.
[44] Press Release, Office of Pub. Affairs, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Justice Department Takes Action Against COVID-19 Fraud: Historic level of enforcement action during national health emergency continues (Mar. 26, 2021), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-takes-action-against-covid-19-fraud.
[45] Boynton Speech, supra note 41.
[47] U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Memorandum from Michael D. Granston, Director, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section (Jan. 10, 2018), https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PjNaQyopCs_KDWy8RL0QPAEIPTnv31ph/view.
[50] Ltr. from Sen. Chuck Grassley to Hon. Merrick B. Garland (Feb. 24, 2021), https://g7x5y3i9.rocketcdn.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021-02-24-CEG-to-DOJAG-Nominee-Garland-regarding-FCA.pdf [hereinafter, “Grassley Letter”].
[53] Department of Justice, Office of the Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand, Memorandum for Heads of Civil Litigating Components and United States Attorneys: Limiting Use of Agency Guidance Documents In Affirmative Civil Enforcement Cases (Jan. 25, 2018), available at https://www.justice.gov/file/1028756/download.
[57] Department of Justice, Justice Manual § 1-20.000, available at https://www.justice.gov/jm/1-20000-limitation-use-guidance-documents-litigation.
[58] Executive Order 13992, 86 Fed. Reg. 7049 (Jan. 20, 2021) (“Revocation of Certain Executive Orders Concerning Federal Regulation”).
[59] Executive Order 13981, 84 Fed. Reg. 55235 (Oct. 9, 2019) (“Promoting the Rule of Law Through Improved Agency Guidance Documents”).
[61] HHS-OIG, State False Claims Act Reviews, https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/state-false-claims-act-reviews/.
[64] Id.; see also Ltr. from Christi A. Grimm, Principal Deputy Inspector General, to Hon. Keith Ellison, Attorney General of Minnesota (May 27, 2021), https://oig.hhs.gov/documents/false-claims-act/369/Minnesota_False_Claims_Act_Letter_05272021.pdf.
[65] State False Claims Act Reviews, supra note 62.
[66] See Montana S.B. No. 345, https://legiscan.com/MT/bill/SB345/2021.
[68] Arkansas H.B. 1623, https://legiscan.com/AR/text/HB1623/2021.
[69] California Assembly Bill No. 310, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB310.
The following Gibson Dunn lawyers assisted in the preparation of this alert: Jonathan Phillips, Winston Chan, Nicola Hanna, John Partridge, James Zelenay, Sean Twomey, Reid Rector, Allison Chapin, Maya Nuland, Michael Dziuban, and Eva Michaels.
Gibson Dunn lawyers regularly counsel clients on the False Claims Act issues. Please feel free to contact the Gibson Dunn lawyer with whom you usually work, the authors, or any of the following members of the firm’s False Claims Act/Qui Tam Defense Group:
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