The False Claims Act (FCA) continues to be a primary tool for both the Justice Department and whistleblowers’ counsel to bring suits against companies in the financial services sector, and the nationwide pandemic did not halt the investigation and litigation of these cases. Whistleblowers filed 672 new cases in 2020, comprising a significant percentage of … Continue Reading
In the latest instance of courts interpreting the Supreme Court’s landmark False Claims Act ruling in Universal Health Services, Inc. v. Escobar, the Eleventh Circuit recently departed from the trend of giving great weight in the analysis of whether a violation was material to the fact that the government continued payment, finding that other efforts … Continue Reading
Among the most significant aspects of the CARES Act is the $660 billion small business forgivable loan program known as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and it was perhaps inevitable that the administration of the program would be followed by a wave of related litigation. Already, the PPP application process has generated lawsuits over the … Continue Reading
Both the Justice Department and an array of whistleblowers’ counsel continue to use the False Claims Act (FCA) to bring suits against banks and mortgage companies, even though recoveries in the financial services sector were scant in 2019. To keep you informed on the status of the law, Bradley’s Government Enforcement and Investigations Practice Group … Continue Reading
In an effort to provide clarity and certainty to Federal Housing Administration (FHA) approved lenders, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) jointly issued a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on October 28, 2019, describing broad guidelines about how HUD and DOJ will coordinate using the False … Continue Reading
This week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) formalized and expanded its guidance for how defendants can earn cooperation credit in False Claims Act (FCA) cases and thereby reduce settlement amounts. New section 4-4.112 of the Justice Manual outlines three ways entities and individuals facing FCA claims can potentially earn credit—through voluntary disclosures, cooperation, and remedial … Continue Reading
Though recoveries from the financial services sector fell drastically in 2018, the Justice Department and a veritable army of whistleblowers’ counsel continue to use the False Claims Act (FCA) to bring suits against banks and mortgage companies. To keep you informed on the status of the law, Bradley’s Government Enforcement and Investigations Practice Group is … Continue Reading
The Justice Department and a veritable army of whistleblowers’ counsel continue to use the False Claims Act (FCA) to bring suits against banks and mortgage companies. In 2017 alone, the Department of Justice obtained $543 million in FCA settlements and judgments from the financial services industry. To keep you informed on the status of the … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
A 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 … Continue Reading
The 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 … Continue Reading
The 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 claim … Continue Reading
Today, the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of False Claims Act (FCA) claims against Wells Fargo, finding a general certification of compliance with “any laws or regulations” too broad to support an FCA action and cautioning against an expansive reading of the FCA. Read the opinion in Bishop v. Wells Fargo & Co., Case No. … Continue Reading
Last 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 the … Continue Reading
Liability 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 … Continue Reading
