One of the more astute things I learned from an experienced lawyer as I was coming out of law school three and a half decades ago was this:  It’s much more interesting and revealing to look at what people are doing five to ten years after graduation than what they do right out of the gate.  What he meant was that people’s first choices often reflect how much debt they’re trying to pay off, or a first poorly-informed guess…

One of the more astute things I learned from an experienced lawyer as I was coming out of law school three and a half decades ago was this:  It’s much more interesting and revealing to look at what people are doing five to ten years after graduation that what they do right out of the gate.  What he meant was that people’s first choices often reflect how much debt they’re trying to pay off, or a first poorly-informed guess at…

Erica Blachman Hitchings discussed the recently disclosed breach of the federal court system’s electronic filing system with AP News Legal Affairs Reporter, Maryclaire Dale.  The article, Russian hack brings changes, uncertainty to US court system, takes stock of the intrusion’s impact on existing and future cases.  Dale reports that the hackers likely gained access to a wide range of confidential information in sealed documents, “including trade secrets, espionage targets, whistleblower reports and arrest warrants.”…

On February 4, Whistleblower Law Collaborative co-founder Bob Thomas joined an esteemed panel of practitioners to discuss current developments in the prosecution of health care fraud cases at this year’s Boston Bar White Collar Crime Conference.  The event was sponsored by the Boston Bar Association and was available by ZOOM.  The conference website and agenda can be found here. The Health Care Fraud panel was a half-day event, which included later panels on financial…

Today, the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts announced that athenahealth Inc. (Athena) has settled two False Claims Act qui tam cases for $18.25 million. The settlement resolves allegations that Athena paid illegal kickbacks to generate sales of its electronic health record (EHR) product, athenaClinicals. In announcing the settlement, United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling said: “Across the country, physicians rely on electronic health records software to provide…

Last week, DOJ announced the first civil settlement to resolve allegations of fraud against the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The settling defendants are SlideBelts Inc. (a California-based online retailer) and its president/CEO, Brigham Taylor. The defendants have agreed to pay $100,000 in damages and penalties. In addition, SlideBelts has repaid the $350,000 in PPP funds that it fraudulently received. The Paycheck Protection Program The Paycheck Protection Program is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and …

It’s no secret that blowing the whistle comes with risks.  Sadly, our clients have faced retaliation simply because they tried to correct their company’s fraud.  They have been fired, demoted, pushed out, and “blackballed.”  But they fight back.  And thanks to the anti-retaliation provisions of the federal and state False Claims Acts, they often win. Ms. Lestage Files a Qui Tam Alleging Kickbacks Fighting back is exactly what Amy Lestage did.  Ms. Lestage was a…