GlaxoSmithKline Sued by Former Investigators
Two former investigators have filed suit against GlaxoSmithKline, charging the drug company with intentionally providing false information that resulted in actions that led to wrongful imprisonment.
According to The New York Times, the investigators were convicted of illegally obtaining the private records of Chinese citizens during a routine investigation of a whistleblower within...
Additional Thoughts on Intentional Underbidding as a Violation of the False Claims Act
We wrote on this topic once bofore, but thought it was worth another looks.It is somewhat counter-intuitive to think of underbidding a contract as fraud, and as a violation of the False Claims Act (the “FCA”). Indeed, the FCA was enacted during the Civil War in response to overcharges and other abuses by defense contractors. United States ex rel. Harrison v. Westinghouse Savannah River Co.,...
Wells Fargo Sued over “Fraud and Reckless Behavior”
Wells Fargo is under fire over allegations that the banking giant opened millions of accounts without first securing customer permission. According to the complaint, Wells Fargo employees used fraudulent and abusive tactics to open roughly 2 million accounts in an effort to maintain sales quotas. Reuters reports that the three plaintiffs involved in this suit allege financial damages brought...
Whistleblower Sues Duke
A whistleblower suit under the federal False Claims Act that, if won, may force Duke to return up to three-times the amount of ill-gotten funds to the government.
False Claims Act lawsuits have not typically been used to target academic institutions, but this trend is shifting as charges of scientific misconduct continue to rise. Duke is now among a handful of Universities that have faced...
VANGUARD GROUP HIT WITH MASSIVE BILLION DOLLAR FALSE CLAIMS ACT SUIT
On July 25th, the details of a massive whistleblower lawsuit against mutual fund corporation Vanguard Group were revealed when the suit was unsealed in the New York Supreme Court. The lawsuit (New York ex rel. David Danon v. Vanguard Group Inc. et al.) alleges that Vanguard operated a tax shelter for nearly 40 years and in doing so, avoided paying hundreds of millions of dollars in state and...
COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEMS SETTLES FALSE CLAIMS ACT SUIT FOR NEARLY $100 MILLION
On August 4th, one of the nation’s largest health system operators, Community Health Systems (CHS), agreed to pay more than $98 million to settle a series of False Claims Act lawsuits. The lawsuits allege that CHS knowingly billed the government for pricey inpatient hospital stays that should have instead been listed as outpatient services. The settlement resolved seven separate...