Tagged: False Claims Act

Northern District of Texas Refuses to Enforce Purported Pre-Filing Qui Tam Claim Release on Public Policy Grounds

On April 30, 2021, a Northern District of Texas judge denied a motion to dismiss an FCA qui tam action alleging “a fraudulent scheme to obtain Government subcontracting opportunities reserved for eligible small businesses under the Small Business Act.” United States ex rel. Haight v. RRSA (Commer. Div), LLC, 3:16-CV-1975-S, 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 82894, at *1-4 (N.D. Tex. Apr. 30, 2021). In the complaint,...

Tread Carefully: District of Utah Grants Motion For Attorneys’ Fees After Unsupported FCA Claim

On February 3, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah granted a motion for attorneys’ fees against Plaintiff Kelly Sorenson (“Sorenson”), finding that the claims Sorenson asserted against his former employer under the False Claims Act (“FCA”) were “clearly frivolous” and compensable under 31 U.S.C. § 3730(d)(4). United States ex rel. Sorenson v. Wadsworth Bros. Constr. Co., No. 2:16-cv-875, 2021 U.S. Dist....

Applying Escobar’s Materiality Standard, Florida Federal Court Reverses $350 Million False Claims Act Verdict against a Nursing Home Operator

If the government does not take action and continues to pay for Medicare/Medicaid claims after it learns of non-compliance related to the claims, is the non-compliance material to the government’s decision to pay?  This is a question being answered in the negative by courts across the country, who have concluded that the government (or a qui tam relator) is not able to proceed under a...