False Claims Act Whistleblower Lawsuit Originally Brought by S&O’s Client Settles

JULY 2014

A lawsuit originally brought by Schertler & Onorato’s client under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act has resulted in a $24.5 million settlement to be paid to the United States. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the settlement in a press release on July 21, 2014. In 2013, the United States intervened in the client’s lawsuit, which alleged that certain Alabama medical entities had violated federal anti–kickback statutes through their Medicare billing and physician referral practices. The firm’s client, a physician formerly employed by the defendant health care entities, will receive a $4.41 million share of the settlement under the applicable whistleblower provisions. Schertler & Onorato attorneys David Schertler, David Dickieson, and Robert Spagnoletti were co–counsel, along with Coumanis & York, to the whistleblower/relator.