- Posts by Richard W. Westling
Member of the FirmA veteran of high-profile trials and investigations, attorney Richard Westling represents executives and businesses in government enforcement matters and other complex litigation. Clients value his ability to enter a crisis ...
On February 22, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released its annual False Claims Act (FCA) enforcement statistics for fiscal year (FY) 2023, which ended on September 30, 2023. While the $2.68 billion in total recoveries continues an upward trend from the $2.24 billion reported in FY 2022, a primary takeaway is the focus on DOJ-driven investigations.
During remarks on February 22 at the Federal Bar Association’s Qui Tam Conference, DOJ Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton reported that in FY 2023, the United States was a party to 543 FCA ...
On May 7, 2019, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) released new guidance for trial attorneys in the DOJ’s civil division regarding how entities under False Claims Act investigation can receive credit for cooperation. The release of this new guidance follows public comments delivered in March by Michael Granston, director of DOJ’s civil fraud section, noting that DOJ was considering issuing additional guidance on cooperation credit related to False Claims Act matters.
The policy explains that cooperation credit in False Claims Act cases may be earned by “voluntarily ...
On April 30, 2019, Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski announced that the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) had published an updated version of the Criminal Division's 2017 guidance publication “Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs.” In making the announcement, Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski said the update was designed to “better harmonize the prior Fraud Section publication with other Department guidance and legal standards.” He noted that DOJ also sought “to provide additional transparency in how [it] will analyze a company's ...
During a November 29, 2018 speech, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced changes to Department of Justice (“DOJ”) policy concerning individual accountability in corporate cases. The announcement followed the DOJ’s year-long review of its individual accountability policies and the September 2015 memorandum issued by then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, commonly known as the “Yates Memo.”
While making clear that pursuing individuals responsible for corporate wrongdoing remains a top priority in every investigation conducted by DOJ, Mr ...
For health care providers and other government contractors, perhaps no law causes more angst than the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 et seq. (“FCA”). A Civil War-era statute initially designed to prevent fraud against the government, the FCA is often leveraged by whistleblowers (also known as “relators”) and their counsel who bring actions on behalf of the government in the hope of securing a statutorily mandated share of any recovery. These qui tam actions often can be paralyzing for health care entities, which, while committed to compliance, suddenly find ...
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