On October 2, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a significant healthcare fraud settlement involving Jeffrey Madison, the former CEO of Little River Healthcare in Rockdale, Texas. Madison agreed to pay more than $5.3 million to resolve lawsuit allegations that he engaged in illegal kickback schemes designed to generate fraudulent [...]
On August 1, the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched its Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program, focusing on criminal activity that largely falls outside the scope of the existing whistleblower programs—namely, the False Claims Act and the SEC, CFTC, FinCEN, and IRS whistleblower programs. While DOJ previously provided guidance and a [...]
The Constantine Cannon whistleblower team is pleased to share with you the Second-Place Winner of the firm’s Third Law School Scholarship Essay Contest on the importance of whistleblowers. That award (and the $500 prize) goes to Lana Thurman, a first-year student at UA Little Rock William H. Bowen Law School. In her essay, Lana reflects on her [...]
Hurricane Helene has devastated Florida with its 140 mph winds, destroying homes and businesses, and at least 115 people have died across six states (as of September 30, 2024). On top of this, many Flordians are still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Not only from the physical damage [...]
Legal and Regulatory Developments SPOTLIGHT: U.S. Accuses Visa of Monopoly in Debit Cards The New York Times – September 24, 2024 (subscription may be required) The Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Visa on Tuesday, accusing the financial giant of unfairly stifling competition in debit cards, the latest in [...]
Yesterday, the DOJ announced Ra Medical Systems, Inc. and two physicians have agreed to collectively pay over $8 million to settle kickback and False Claims Act allegations related to a medical laser marketed for atherectomies to treat peripheral artery disease (PAD). The settlement includes payments from Dr. Elias Kassab of [...]
By Sadie Mayhew In 2016, the media sent shockwaves through the nation when it broke the story of the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal. Over 500 athletes bravely disclosed the abuse they faced at the hands of coaches, gym owners, and doctors associated with USAG for over two decades. Disgraced [...]
“The whole idea behind [OceanGate] was to make money, that’s it…there was very little in the way of science” . . . “I didn’t want to lose my job. I wanted to do the Titanic. But to dive it safely. It was on my bucket list, too….” —David Lochridge, former [...]
On Monday (September 23), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced four whistleblower awards under the CFTCs Whistleblower Program. They are the latest in a string of awards — all relatively modest — the commodities regulator has made since the Spring. This includes awards made on August 30 ($4 million); [...]
Yesterday, the DOJ announced that James B. Nutter & Company, a former mortgage lender from Kansas City, Missouri, agreed to pay $2.4 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly underwriting Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM) that did not meet eligibility requirements. The HECM program is [...]