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Brad Robertson works with clients facing government investigations and litigations, dealing with whistleblower allegations and qui tam actions, and planning compliance programs to prevent these occurrences in the first place. He helps his clients navigate compliance and potential liability under the False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback Statute and FIRREA, in addition to other areas of healthcare fraud and abuse, financial/mortgage fraud, and white collar criminal law.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA) makes it unlawful for certain classes of persons and entities to make payments to foreign government officials to assist in obtaining or retaining business. On November 29, 2017, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced the addition of an FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy to the U.S. Attorneys’ Manual,

Would the 7th Circuit Have Changed Its FCA Standard but for Peer Pressure?The Seventh Circuit finally abandoned its “but-for” causation standard for False Claims Act (FCA) damages. The decision comes 25 years after the Seventh Circuit first adopted its controversial standard requiring only a showing that an injury would not have occurred if not for the conduct. The Seventh Circuit has long been the lone outlier among

Jury Verdict Expands to $298 Million in False Claims Act/FIRREA Case as Court Assesses Treble Damages and PenaltiesA federal court in Texas recently entered a massive judgment against a mortgage originator for financial crisis conduct, transforming an already severe $93 million jury verdict into a $298 million punishment, and issuing one of the first judicial opinions regarding how to assess penalties under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989

Book of ComplianceThe federal government continues to use the False Claims Act (FCA) as one of its prime enforcement tools against banks and mortgage companies. In 2016 alone, the Department of Justice obtained $1.6 billion in FCA settlements and judgments from the financial services industry. As it does each year, Bradley has assembled an overview of the

Supreme Court Narrows Application of Implied Certification under the False Claims Act and Establishes a Demanding Materiality StandardThe Supreme Court’s decision in Universal Health Services v. United States ex rel. Escobar reframes when falsity may be implied under the False Claims Act (FCA) and raises the bar for materiality under the statute. Though the Court upholds the controversial theory of implied false certification, Escobar limits it to situations where both (1) a

In a Major FIRREA Victory for the Banks, the Second Circuit Overturns $1.27 Billion Jury VerdictOn Monday, the Second Circuit overturned a jury verdict and $1.27 billion penalty against Bank of America imposed under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA), 12 U.S.C. § 1833a. Because the Government failed to demonstrate that Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. (Countrywide) intended at the time of contracting to defraud Fannie

Sixth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of $2.3 Billion FCA Case Due to Prior Public DisclosureLast week, in U.S. ex rel. Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE) v. U.S. Bank, the Sixth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a False Claims Act (FCA) suit against U.S. Bank because the conduct alleged by the qui tam relator had previously been publicly disclosed in a consent order with the Office of

Ninth Circuit Rejects Whistleblower Argument that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are Federal Instrumentalities under the False Claims ActLiability under the False Claims Act (FCA) is premised on the submission of a claim for money or property either to a federal government “officer, employee, or agent” or, under certain circumstances, to a nongovernmental “contractor, grantee, or other recipient” of government funds. In a decision affirming the dismissal of a whistleblower’s FCA action, the