The FCA Insider

The FCA Insider

Insights and updates on False Claims Act Litigation

Category Archives: Defense Arguments

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Defense Arguments

7th Circ. May Be Willing To End FCA Circuit Split

The False Claims Act’s “public disclosure bar” calls for dismissal of complaints by qui tam plaintiffs (or “relators”) whose allegations have already been publicly disclosed. The primary aim of the bar is preventing parasitic suits based on public information. Courts generally agree that disclosure to the government alone does not count as disclosure to the… Continue Reading
Defense Arguments, FCA Litigation

Third Circuit Ruling Reflects the Narrowed Scope of the Public Disclosure Bar under the Affordable Care Act

The public disclosure bar is a statutorily created hurdle that plaintiffs must cross to successfully maintain a False Claims Act suit. The principle was originally enacted to prevent individuals from filing “parasitic” False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuits that were not based on their independent knowledge. The public disclosure bar has undergone several statutory changes during… Continue Reading
Defense Arguments, FCA Litigation

Defendants Obtain Summary Judgment In an FCA Action Because the Plaintiffs Failed to Identify Evidence of Specific False Claims

It is often stated that the sine qua non (the indispensable and essential action) of a violation of the False Claims Act (FCA) is the submission of a false or fraudulent claim. This principle has been recognized and cited in federal courts throughout the country. A recent case that was decided in the United States… Continue Reading
Defense Arguments, FCA Litigation

Supreme Court Clarifies the First to File Bar

The first to file bar is a limitation on the rights of members of the public to commence certain litigation under the FCA.  In essence, the first to file bar prevents a member of the public from commencing an action based upon facts that have already been placed at issue in another piece of FCA litigation.   Specifically, “[w]hen a person brings an action… Continue Reading
Defense Arguments, FCA Litigation

KBR v. Carter–Supreme Court Holds that the First-to-File Bar Only Applies to Pending Cases

On Wednesday the Supreme Court, in Kellogg Brown & Root Services, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Carter, No. 12-1497 (2015), held that the Wartime Suspension of Limitations Act (“WSLA”) only tolls the statute of limitations for criminal offenses, not civil claims under the False Claims Act (“FCA”).  The Court also held that the FCA’s… Continue Reading
Defense Arguments

Can A Law Firm Qualify as an Original Source?

Although a Federal district court refrained from providing a definitive answer to this question, it appears unlikely given the court’s holding and reasoning in United States v. U.S. Bank, N.A., No. 3:13-cv-704, 2015 WL 2238660 (N.D. Ohio May 12, 2015).  Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (“ABLE”), a non-profit law firm focused on assisting low… Continue Reading

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