Insights on Complex Litigation

US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General released an OIG Alert reminding the public that electronic health records furnished to referral sources may not meet the federal anti-kickback statute’s EHR safe harbor if EHR system has limited or restricted interoperability.

On September 21, 2015, the US DOJ and whistleblowers’ counsel announced that Florida-headquartered Adventist Health System (Adventist) had agreed to pay $118.7 million to resolve allegations that it violated the FCA by submitting claims in violation of the Stark law and by miscoding claims.

Joyce Branda, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Commercial Litigation Branch of the DOJ, gave the keynote address on September 28, 2015, at the American Health Lawyers Association Fraud and Compliance Forum in Baltimore, providing conference attendees with an update from DOJ.

Has Estee Lauder built such significant brand value that a retailer is doomed if it cannot stock Estee Lauder’s products on its shelves? This is the question Duty Free Americas asked a federal appeals court to once again consider after both the district court and the appeals court said “no.”

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced that Columbus Regional Healthcare System (Columbus Regional) has agreed to pay up to $35 million and enter into a Corporate Integrity Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

On September 15, the US Department of Justice announced that it reached a $69.5 million settlement with the North Broward Hospital District to resolve False Claims Act allegations that originated in 2010.

Purchasers and restructurers of California companies can rest a little easier after last Thursday’s landmark ruling by the California Supreme Court.

Jawbone and Fitbit, both billion-dollar leaders in the “wearable” technology category of fitness bands, are warming up for what may become a test of legal endurance.

Thirty-nine Arent Fox LLP attorneys have been rated as leaders in their profession by The Best Lawyers in America 2016.

On August 5, 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued Advisory Opinion No. 15-11.

On Monday, a federal district court judge in New York issued a ruling that, if adopted broadly, will have a significant – and potentially nightmarish – impact on any provider who receives an overpayment from Medicare or Medicaid.  Kane v. Healthfirst, Inc. and U.S. v. Continuum Health Partners Inc. 

The Fourth Circuit has recently made it more difficult for false advertising plaintiffs to survive a motion to dismiss where their claims are based on an allegation of “literal falsity.”

On July 20, 2015, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois certified a liability-only class of Illinois plaintiffs in a nearly ten-year-old case involving allegedly defective, moldy Kenmore-manufactured Whirlpool Corporation (Whirlpool) washing machines.[1] 

In an unexpected development, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently proposed several changes that will generally add greater flexibility to Stark Law regulations in the proposed physician fee schedule for calendar year 2016, which was published on July 15, 2015.

In an unexpected development, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently proposed several changes that will generally add greater flexibility to Stark Law regulations in the proposed physician fee schedule for calendar year 2016, which was published on July 15, 2015.

On July 7, 2015, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overruled a 23-year-old False Claims Act precedent, relaxing its test for deciding when a whistleblower can overcome a motion to dismiss because the allegations in the complaint were publicly disclosed. 

Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced the creation of a new litigation team focused solely on using the OIG’s authority to impose civil monetary penalties and exclude individuals and businesses from Medicare and Medicaid.

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit released a decision requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to reconsider a 2008 rule prohibiting certain per-click leasing arrangements under the Stark Law.

On Friday, June 26, the United States Supreme Court released its landmark decision on marriage equality, with the majority opinion citing arguments and amici briefs from two Arent Fox partners, Hunter T. Carter and Craig Engle.

On June 22, 2015, the FCC released an order authorizing interconnected VoIP providers to obtain telephone numbers directly from the Numbering Administrators, rather than through intermediaries or wholesale carriers.

The US Attorney General announced a “takedown” of 243 defendants over the last three days, representing the largest health care fraud enforcement effort in the Medicare Fraud Strike Force’s eight-year history and the largest criminal health care fraud action in the history of the Justice Department.

Partner Hunter Carter’s insights on the recently revealed and globally sensational FIFA corruption case were featured in the June 12 edition of Chile’s leading financial magazine, Capital.

The United States District Court in Nevada issued an Order on June 1, 2015 dismissing the complaint filed by alleged victims of a data security breach suffered by Amazon.com d/b/a Zappos.com (Zappos).

Arent Fox Complex Litigation partner Barbara S. Wahl recently published an article in Law360 that outlines key publicity rights issues that attorneys and their clients should consider when doing estate planning.