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Whistleblower Payments Top $300 Million Under False Claims Act in Fiscal Year 2014

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Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) May 20, 2014

A review of press releases issued by the Department of Justice since October 1, 2013 conducted by Young Law Group reveals that whistleblowers have been awarded more than $ 300 million from settlements in qui tam lawsuits in the current fiscal year. The federal government’s fiscal year begins on October 1st, leaving more than four months left to add to the impressive amount so far.

The two largest settlements, Johnson & Johnson in November 2013 and JPMorgan Chase in February 2014, have also led to the largest payouts. More than $ 167 million was split among the whistleblowers in Johnson & Johnson. The sole relator in JPMorgan Chase was entitled to $ 63.9 million.

A breakdown of the amount of awards in each settlement can be found on the Young Law Group website.

During FY 2013, whistleblowers received more than $ 345 million. * The record for the largest amount was set in 2011, when relators were awarded more than $ 500 million. In total, since the False Claims Act was amended in 1986, whistleblowers have been paid more than $ 4 billion for information they have brought to the government under the law. **

Payments for tips to whistleblowers in Endo Pharmaceuticals, Genzyme and Ensign Group were not included in the total for the current year because they were not disclosed by the Department of Justice. The addition of awards in these cases should add more than $ 25 million to the current total, based on the statutory percentages specified in the legislation.

“If our calculations are correct, Fiscal Year 2014 already ranks sixth on the list for highest payments to relators under the False Claims Act,” said Eric L. Young, Esq., managing partner of Young Law Group.

“Payments for information about health care fraud continue to account for the majority of rewards as the government fights fraud against Medicare, Medicaid and other government programs,” added Young.

About the Federal False Claims Act

The False Claims Act permits individuals to file lawsuits on behalf of the federal government to recover money paid out due to false statements. The individual filing the lawsuit is known as the relator. The government is permitted to intervene in the lawsuit and prosecute it to its conclusion if they wish. In this case, an eligible relator may receive between 15 and 25 percent of the amount recovered by the government. If the government declines to intervene and the individual continues the lawsuit against the company, they may be entitled to between 25 and 30 percent of the recovery.

The False Claims Act, also known as Lincoln’s Law, was passed in 1863 to fight fraud during the Civil War. In 1986, it was amended to increase incentives for relators and provide for treble damages against defendants.

About Young Law Group, P.C.

Young Law Group represents clients filing qui tam lawsuits under the False Claims Act and providing tips to the SEC, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and Internal Revenue Service.

Eric L. Young, Esq., managing partner of Young Law Group, represented the first whistleblower awarded compensation by the IRS under the mandatory reward program created following the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006. Young has also served as an expert witness in areas of U.S. whistleblower law and represented clients in some of the largest qui tam recoveries. Young is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

For a free, confidential case evaluation and discussion about whistleblower laws and rights, please call Eric Young, Esq., at 1-800-590-4116.

Learn more about Eric Young, Esq., and Young Law Group at http://young-lawgroup.com    

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. Young Law Group, P.C. is a private law office located at 123 S. Broad St. Set 1920, Philadelphia, PA 19109. The firm will associate with local counsel in other jurisdictions when necessary. Young Law Group may not be able to represent residents of all states. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any present or future matter.

The lawsuits specifically identified here are captioned as United States ex rel. Victoria Starr v. Janssen Pharmaceutica Prods. L.P., Civil Action No. 04-1529 (E.D. Pa.); United States ex rel. Lynn Powell v. Janssen Pharmaceutica Prods. L.P. and Johnson & Johnson, Civil Action No. 04-5184 (E.D. Pa.); United States ex rel. Camille McGowan and Judy Doetterl v. Janssen Pharmaceutica, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceutica Prods. L.P., and Johnson & Johnson, Civil Action No. 05-5436 (E.D. Pa.); United States ex rel. Kurtis J. Barry v. Ortho-McNeil-Jannsen Pharms., Inc. and Johnson & Johnson, Inc., Civil Action No. 10-0098 (E.D. Pa.); United States ex rel. Lisitza and Kammerer, et al. v. Johnson & Johnson, et al. Civ. No.: 07-10288, 05-11518 (D. Mass); United States ex rel. Keith Edwards v. JPMorgan Chase Bank NA et al, Case No. 13-00220 (S.D.N.Y.); United States ex rel. Ryan v. Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., Civil Action No. 05-cv-3450 (E.D. Pa.); United States ex rel. Weathersby, et al. v. Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., et al, Civil Action No. 10-cv-2039 (E.D. Pa.); United States ex rel. Dhillon v. Endo Pharmaceuticals, Civil Action No. 11-cv-7767 (E.D. Pa.); United States ex rel. Fuentes, Russo v. Genzyme Corp., No. 09-cv-1245 (M.D. Fla.); United States ex rel. Kelley v. Genzyme Corp., No. 10-cv-549 (M.D. Fla.); United States of America ex rel. Gloria Patterson v. Ensign Group Inc., Case No. SACV 06-6956 CJC (ANx) (C.D. Calif.); and United States of America ex rel. Carol Sanchez v. Ensign Group Inc., Case No. SACV 06-0643 CJC (ANx) (C.D. Calif.).

For attribution purposes:


http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/December/13-civ-1352.html

** http://www.justice.gov/civil/docs_forms/C-FRAUDS_FCA_Statistics.pdf







More Expert Witness Press Releases

CDC Reports Over 10,000 Children Under 4 Taking Amphetamines for ADHD / ADD, According to Dr. Tim Houchin, M.D.

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Lexington, KY (PRWEB) May 20, 2014

In his May 16, 2014 article from the New York Times Alan Schwarz cited a recent government announcement that over 10,000 children ages 2 and 3 are being prescribed amphetamines for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD / ADD. These numbers, presented by the Centers for Disease Control, highlight how readily pediatricians, psychiatrists and psychologists are doling out the diagnosis, according to Dr. Tim Houchin, M.D.

Medical schools used to teach that ADHD / ADD occurred in 3 – 5% of children. However, current CDC data from this map on their website clearly demonstrates that in some states the rate of ADHD is as high as 19%.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition, or DSM-5 specifies criteria for mental and emotional disorders. It clearly states that ADHD symptoms must be present in at least two settings such as home, school or work. But how many 2 year-olds even go to school? Should daycare be considered one of these settings?

Based upon the DSM-5 criteria it would seem that most 2 and 3 year-old children would not even be eligible for the diagnosis, yet the CDC clearly states children as young as 2 are being prescribed amphetamines for ADHD in large numbers. So why are pediatricians and mental health professionals so willing to diagnose ADHD in children this young? Furthermore, what explains the 300 – 400% increase in the diagnosis of ADHD in the past 2 decades?

Although there are no easy answers to these questions, the CDC website contains the article ADHD Throughout the Years, last updated May 16, 2013. An excerpt from the CDC article is provided below:

“It is not possible to tell whether this increase [in the rate of ADHD] represents a change in the number of children who have ADHD, or a change in the number of children who were diagnosed. Perhaps relatedly, the number of FDA-approved ADHD medications increased noticeably since the 1990s, after the introduction of long-acting formulations.”

Based on this information cited from the CDC report it is clear to Dr. Tim that the CDC has at least some suspicion that drug companies, seeking to market long-acting and profitable ADHD medications, are at least partly to blame for the dramatic rise in ADHD diagnoses. But in 2 year-olds?

To Dr. Tim’s knowledge there is absolutely no FDA-cleared, objective test for diagnosing ADHD in a 2 or 3 year-old child. None. Labeling 2 year-old children with ADHD, let alone placing them on amphetamines, is a very slippery slope in Dr. Tim’s opinion.

About Dr. Tim:

Dr. Tim Houchin is one of approximately 200 physicians in the United States to be triple board certified in psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry & forensic psychiatry. In addition to serving as an expert witness to various courts Dr. Tim is founder and president of 360 Mental Health Services, a comprehensive mental health diagnostic and treatment center based in Lexington, Kentucky.







More Expert Witness Press Releases

Rewards for Evidence of Ambulance Fraud Available to Whistleblowers Under the False Claims Act, According to Young Law Group

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Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) April 28, 2014

The fraudulent billing of Medicare by ambulance companies is an area prime for whistleblowers with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimating that ambulance providers were overpaid more than $ 300 million last year.* Employees who identify that their company is charging Medicare illegally may earn a substantial reward if they report their evidence through the procedures set up by the False Claims Act and the United States recovers money from the company as a result.

Medicare pays for transportation by ambulance when it is medically necessary. “Although there are dialysis and cancer patients who may appropriately require rides for treatment, unscrupulous service providers will offer ambulance rides to patients who they could safely transport in a wheelchair van or could drive their own vehicle. The owners implement this practice in order to line their pockets because the government will reimburse more for ambulance transportation,” commented Eric L. Young, Esq., Managing Partner of Young Law Group.

Other practices which may violate the False Claims Act include the billing for emergency services in non-emergency situations, business acquired by referral agreements prohibited under the Anti-Kickback Statute and under the table payments to patients are also prohibited.

“Employees at companies engaged in this misconduct should consult with an attorney to determine their rights,” said Young. The Young Law Group offers a free, confidential evaluation to potential whistleblowers who have evidence of fraud by ambulance providers against the U.S. government. Please call 1-800-590-4116 for additional information.

“The federal government revised the False Claims Act in 1986 to strengthen the public-private partnership in the fight against fraud,” declared James J. McEldrew, III, Esq., Of Counsel to Young Law Group. “The government can not investigate every bill submitted by Medicare service providers in order to determine whether the charge is valid. It relies, in part, on ethical individuals working for the companies and others who come across evidence of fraud to report it.”

The False Claims Act authorizes individuals to report fraudulent bills submitted to and paid by Medicare in a qui tam lawsuit. If the government or the relator, as the whistleblower filing the lawsuit is commonly known, is able to recover money paid out by the government through litigation, the relator may receive between 15 and 30 percent of the amount recovered. The law also provides whistleblowers with protection against retaliation by authorizing a federal lawsuit for damages when an employer changes the terms and conditions of their employment due to lawful whistleblowing.

Earlier this month, the payment data for $ 77 billion paid through Medicare Part B to 880,000 providers in 2012 was released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).** The $ 5 billion paid by Medicare to ambulance companies in 2012 was more than was paid to orthopedic surgeons or cancer doctors.*

The Medicare data reveals that the program pays fifty percent more per patient, on average, to providers in West Virginia, Massachusetts, South Carolina and New Jersey for transportation. This may signal fraudulent billing but insiders are needed to confirm it with actual evidence of fraud. The U.S. government has already identified Houston, Texas and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as areas where illegal billing is likely to originate. New ambulance companies are not permitted to register with Medicare and Medicaid in these two regions at present.

About Young Law Group, P.C.

Young Law Group represents whistleblowers reporting health care fraud to the U.S. Government via qui tam lawsuits permitted by the False Claims Act. Young Law Group also represents individuals reporting securities fraud to the SEC/CFTC programs and tax evasion to the IRS.

Eric L. Young, Esq., Managing Partner of Young Law Group, represented the first whistleblower awarded compensation by the IRS under the mandatory reward program created following the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006. Young has also served as an expert witness in areas of U.S. whistleblower law and represented clients in some of the largest qui tam recoveries, including United States ex. rel. Lucia Paccione v. Cephalon Inc., E.D.P.A., 03-CV-6268.

For a free, confidential case evaluation and discussion about whistleblower laws and rights, please call Eric Young, Esq., at 1-800-590-4116.

Young Law Group, P.C., is a private law office located at 123 S. Broad St., Ste 1920, Philadelphia, PA 19109 with attorneys licensed to practice in Pennsylvania. The firm will associate with local counsel in other jurisdictions when necessary. Young Law Group may not be able to represent residents of all states.

Learn more about Eric Young, Esq., and Young Law Group at http://eganyoung.com

For attribution purposes:


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-24/medicare-s-5-billion-ambulance-tab-signals-area-of-abuse.html

** http://money.cnn.com/2014/04/09/news/economy/medicare-doctors/







Why did Al Gore buy a home on the Florida Beach that he says will be under water in 10 years, is he a denier?

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Question by snoobling: Why did Al Gore buy a home on the Florida Beach that he says will be under water in 10 years, is he a denier?
How inconvenient for Al Gore, the guy who rides around in private jets and stands to make billions on the cap and trade scam, that some remember his words and wonder why he doesn’t believe himself and his intimidated and bought off special interest “expert witness” scientists.

THAT IS AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

Best answer:

Answer by Dylan RIP Dio \m/
You know, with how much you guys follow him around, it’s be wise for Gore to get some security as well.

Add your own answer in the comments!