February 08, 2024
A Minnesota federal judge on Thursday chopped a $490 million False Claims Act verdict against an ophthalmology distributor for making kickbacks to doctors in half, finding the compensatory damages to be "notably severe" and "grossly disproportional" to the offense under the Excessive Fines Clause.
December 13, 2023
This year saw a rare False Claims Act jury trial that netted a $490 million verdict, a $172 million settlement from Cigna to settle healthcare fraud allegations, and emerging fraud schemes from developing technologies. Here, Law360 takes a look back at six significant healthcare fraud enforcement actions from 2023.
May 15, 2023
A Minnesota federal judge granted a nearly $490 million False Claims Act verdict against an ophthalmology distributor over kickbacks to doctors, saying the government had correctly calculated liability, with the company premature in its argument that the verdict was unconstitutionally excessive.
March 27, 2023
An ophthalmology distributor has hit back at the U.S. Department of Justice's request that the company should have to pay nearly $490 million in False Claims Act liability after a jury found it greased the palms of surgeons with luxury travel, sports tickets and other kickbacks.
March 17, 2023
The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday asked a Minnesota federal judge to order an ophthalmology distributor found by a jury to have greased the palms of surgeons with luxury travel, sports tickets and other kickbacks to pay nearly $490 million in False Claims Act liability.
February 28, 2023
A Minnesota federal jury delivered a $43 million verdict against an ophthalmology distributor accused of greasing the palms of surgeons with luxury travel, sports tickets and other kickbacks, the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday, potentially triggering $485 million in False Claims Act liability.
August 04, 2020
A whistleblower who filed for bankruptcy has legal standing to sue an eye products supplier over an alleged kickback scheme, as a trustee for his bankruptcy estate released its right to the claims, a Minnesota federal judge held Tuesday.
July 27, 2020
The federal government, an eye product supplier and a whistleblower have all pushed back in litigation over an alleged kickback scheme against a Minnesota federal magistrate judge for sanctioning them over issues relating to the case's scope and evidence.
July 13, 2020
An eye product supplier, the federal government and a whistleblower are all being sanctioned in a suit accusing the company of paying kickbacks to doctors, after a Minnesota federal magistrate judge found a series of issues relating to the case's scope and evidence.
March 03, 2020
A Minnesota federal judge has refused to toss a whistleblower's suit accusing an eye product supplier of paying kickbacks to doctors, finding that his sharing of secret recordings of the company's owner and staff with government attorneys was lawful.