Author Archives: Steve Kardell
PwC to Pay $625 Million in Damages After Audit
U.S. District Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein ordered PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to pay the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. more than $625 million for negligence in an audit of Colonial BancGroup, Inc., a bank holding company in Alabama that went under during the most recent economic downturn. The FDIC requested the damages, leading to the case overseen by […]
Florida Urogynecology Network Settles False Claims Act Case for $1.7 Million
FWC Urogynecology, a urogynecology network based in Florida, recently settled a False Claims Act lawsuit for $1.7 million. In the suit, FWC was alleged to have billed the government for services it did not provide or were otherwise inflated to get larger refunds. In the suit, FWC was alleged to have misused Medicare billing codes […]
SEC Fines Charles Schwab $2.8 Million for Failure to Report Suspicious Transactions
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently fined Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. $2.8 million for failing to report a series of suspicious transactions by independent investment advisors it stopped from using the company to handle client accounts. Under the Bank Secrecy Act, all broker-dealers are required to report any such suspicious transactions that […]
CFTC Hands Out $45 Million Award to Group of Whistleblowers
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) recently awarded a group of whistleblowers more than $45 million for helping the agency identify fraudulent activity. Representatives of the CFTC said that this extraordinarily high payout, which represents a substantial increase from the awards granted in past years that tended to be smaller in scope, are evidence the […]
Endo Will Pay $13 Million to Settle Case Alleging Illegal Marketing Practices
Endo Pharmaceuticals recently settled a lawsuit with the state of Texas to the tune of $13.5 million, resolving allegations that the company engaged in illegal marketing practices for its drug Lidoderm. The lawsuit claimed Endo purposefully misrepresented the approved uses, safety and efficacy of the drug when marketing it to the Texas Medicaid program. This […]
Detroit Area Hospital Settles False Claims Act Case for $84.5 Million
William Beaumont Hospital, a hospital based in the Detroit area, agreed to pay $84.5 million to settle claims under the False Claims Act. The hospital was accused of having improper relationships with eight referring doctors that resulted in submitting false claims to Medicaid, Medicare and TRICARE. The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits medical organizations and doctors from […]
Insurance Company Sued by Los Angeles Hospital Over $42 Million Whistleblower Settlement
A now-closed hospital in Los Angeles filed a lawsuit against its insurance provider, alleging a denial of coverage to the facility while the hospital was publicly criticized for alleged illegal referral agreements. The case stems from a whistleblower lawsuit filed in 2013 by Paul Chan against Pacific Alliance Medical Center (PAMC) under the False Claims […]
Administrative Review Board Upholds $1.1 Million Maritime Whistleblower Award
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Administrative Review Board (ARB) decided to uphold a $1.1 million whistleblower award issued to a ship captain who lost his job after reporting safety violations on his vessel. The captain, John Loftus, filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Horizon Lines, Inc., his former employer, under the Seaman’s Protection Act. In the […]
Harley-Davidson Punished for Collective Bargaining Violation
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently ruled that Harley-Davidson Motor Co. should have allowed the International Association of Machinists (IAM) to engage in bargaining negotiations before the company offered incentives for employees to resign from their positions. According to reports, a collective bargaining agreement the company had with IAM Lodge 175 gave Harley-Davidson the […]
Planning is Important When Dealing with Workplace Harassment Complaints
The age of #MeToo has shed light on just how important it is for businesses and organizations to plan out robust harassment reporting and investigation policies and to be proactive in preventing workplace harassment. Below are a few tips for companies to consider as they develop and implement their harassment policies: Make it easy to […]
