ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Pharmaceutical Company Settles Whistleblower Case for $456 Million
False Claims Act Suit
Whistleblower/qui tam cases under the federal False Claims Act (FCA) can be huge. The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced a $456 million settlement in one FCA whistleblower/qui tam case against a leading pharmaceutical company. The case alleged the manufacturer defrauded the government by misclassifying a drug as “generic” in a scheme to avoid paying rebates owed to the federal government under Medicaid’s drug rebate program. Although not involved in this case in any way, the attorneys at Evans Law Firm have extensive experience with whistleblower/qui tam cases under the federal and California False Claims Act, including cases of government contractor fraud, Medicare and Medicaid fraud, and whistleblower cases of tax avoidance schemes and securities and investment fraud. If you have credible information for a whistleblower or qui tam case, call the Evans Law Firm Inc. today at (415) 441-8669.
The False Claims Act entitles private individuals, acting as whistleblowers or “relators,” to bring private actions against parties who have submitted false claims to the government for reimbursements or contract awards, or, as here, allegedly lower rebates than those to which Medicaid was entitled. Just as in this case, DOJ attorneys often intervene to prosecute the action on behalf of the government. Pursuant to the large settlement announced by the DOJ here, defendants denied any wrongdoing. The settlement also requires the company to enter a five-year corporate integrity agreement with respect to the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program.
Whistleblower/qui tam cases are long and very complex. This particular case involved years of discovery and investigation. Whistleblower or qui tam cases begin with original and credible information of false claims and include hard documentation and other evidence supporting that information. We here at Evans Law Firm have years of experience with whistleblower and qui tam cases brought under the False Claims Act and US tax laws against tax avoidance schemes. We know what the kind of evidence the government looks for in these cases and know how best to structure, organize, and present your evidence and documentation through initial application or complaint, discovery and investigation, and trial and/or settlement negotiations.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one has information regarding a whistleblower or qui tam case in San Francisco County or any California county brought under the False Claims Act for Medicare and Medicaid fraud or other false claims or under the Internal Revenue Code for prosecution of tax avoidance schemes including offshore schemes, contact the Evans Law Firm whistleblower and qui tam attorneys at (415) 441-8669, or by email at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>. Our attorneys have experience with large whistleblower cases, complex financial contract litigation, and large insurance companies. We can help guide your case through whistleblower false claims applications, discovery and investigation, a jury trial or toward an equitable settlement. We also handle cases involving physical and financial elder abuse, nursing home abuse, whole life insurance and universal life insurance, and indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.
