qui tam

Illinois-based Abbott Laboratories has agreed to pay the United States $5.475 million to resolve allegations that the company violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to induce doctors to implant the company’s vascular products, the Justice Department announced today.  Abbott is a global pharmaceuticals and health care products company.

The settlement resolves allegations that Abbott knowingly paid prominent physicians for teaching assignments, speaking engagements and conferences with the expectation that these physicians would arrange for the hospitals with which they were affiliated to purchase Abbott’s carotid, biliary and peripheral vascular products.  As a result, the United States alleged Abbott violated the Anti-Kickback Act and caused the submission of false claims to Medicare for the procedures in which these Abbott products were used.

The lawsuit was originally brought by Steven Peters and Douglas Gray, former Abbott employees, under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act.  The False Claims Act allows private parties with knowledge of fraud against the government to sue on behalf of the government and share in the recovery.  Peters and Gray will receive over $1 million between them as their portion of the settlement.

The Chanler Group, in association with the Hirst Law Group, represents whistleblowers who take action under the False Claims Act to report fraud committed against the federal and state governments.  We have years of experience representing whistleblower clients who expose every kind of fraud against the government, including health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud.  Read more about our expertise in False Claims Act cases and how you can take action.

Kmart Corporation has agreed to pay the United States and 32 participating states a total of $2.5 million to settle allegations of false prescription claims by its national pharmacy centers to government health insurance programs, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced yesterday.

Kmart allegedly violated the False Claims Act by billing government health care programs (Medicaid, Tricare and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program) for all drugs included in a prescription when, for many prescriptions, it dispensed only a portion of the prescribed drugs. Although billed in full to the government health care programs, the remaining portion of the prescriptions were never dispensed to beneficiaries and were later returned to stock. 

The lawsuit was originally filed by Mark Kirsch, a former Kmart employee, under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act.  The False Claims Act allows private parties with knowledge of fraud against the government to sue on behalf of the government and share in the recovery.  Kirsch will receive $309,687 as his portion of the settlement.

The Chanler Group, in association with the Hirst Law Group, represents whistleblowers who take action under the False Claims Act to report fraud committed against the federal and state governments.  We have years of experience representing whistleblower clients who uncover fraud of every kind perpetrated against our government including, health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud.  Read more about our expertise in False Claims Act cases and how you can take action.