What is Stark Law and how does it relate to the False Claims Act?

Stark Law is a set of laws that regulate how and under what circumstances physicians can make referrals. The starting point is the doctors cannot refer a patient to any entity where the doctor (or an immediate family member) has a financial interest in the entity and the entity bills Medicare for any treatments or prod...

A Pharmacy, an Equity Firm, and Two Executives of the Pharmacy – Agree to Settle False Claims Act Allegations for $21.36 Million

The US Department of Justice reported on September 18, 2019 that a compounding pharmacy, Diabetic Care Rx LLC (Patient Care America), a private equity firm (Riordan, Lewis & Haden, Inc.) and the CEO and former VP of Patient Care America agreed to settle the charges which were centered on an alleged kickback scheme ...

FCA Settlement Issues for Relators

Article for Immediate Release- Stephen Danz & Associates | FCA Settlement Issues for Relators Settlement of a Federal False Claims Act case (“FCA”) presents a number of interesting issues when it comes time to “signing off” on the deal.  Here are some points from Los Angeles Employment Attorneys at Step...

Whistleblower Discovery Rights: Avoid the Pitfalls and Secure Adequate Evidence

After a lawsuit is filed (and in many cases, before), you and your legal team should be creating a "to do" list of critical documents to demand from the defendant employer. These types of documents are valuable regardless of whether you are suing for retaliation under the Federal False Claims Act or the California Labo...

Corporate Confidentiality Agreements Restrict Whistleblowing: Are they Legal?

KBR Corporation recently demanded that its employees not discuss pending investigations with outside parties such as government agencies or attorneys without consent of the company's attorneys. At least one government agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), said this violates whistleblower rights an...

Whistle blower protection not limited to first person reporting violations

Whistle blower protection not limited to first person reporting violations In Hager vs County of Los Angeles, the issue was whether a subsequent reporter of illegal conduct could in fact claim whistle blower protection under California Labor Code 1102.5. A secondary issue under the Public Safety Officers Procedural ...