On October 20, 2014, a jury in Texas returned a verdict of $175 million against guardrail manufacturer, Trinity Industries, Inc. (“Trinity”). The jury found that Trinity deliberately withheld information about cost-saving changes to the design of its highway guardrail system that increased the dangers faced by motorists on the nation’s […]
Category: General
New York Lab To Settle False Claims Act Case for $6 Million
Bostwick Laboratories, Inc., an anatomic and pathology lab based in Uniondale, New York, has agreed to pay $6,048,000 to resolve claims pursued under the False Claims Act. The qui tam (“whistleblower”) lawsuit alleged that Bostwick improperly offered incentives to physicians in exchange for referrals and billed for unordered tests and […]
ET-Plus Manufacturer Found Guilty of Fraud
The manufacturer of the ET-Plus guardrail system that has been under much scrutiny was found guilty Monday by a Texas jury of defrauding the federal government. Trinity Industries made a design change in 2005 to the end terminal unit without informing the Federal Highway Administration of the change. State governments […]
National Consumer Law Center Issues Online Petitition Regarding Forced Arbitration
The National Consumer Law Center and the National Association of Consumer Attorneys have issued an online petition in advance of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s final arbitration study. The petition urges the nation’s largest financial institutions to discontinue including mandatory arbitration agreements in consumer contracts. The online petition comes as […]
Bank of America Will Pay $16.65 Billion to Settle Fraud Charges
On August 21, 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced a $16.65 billion settlement with Bank of America in connection with charges of financial fraud in the lead-up to and during the financial crisis. According to the DOJ press release, the settlement represents “the largest civil settlement with a […]
Community Health Systems, Inc. to Pay $97 Million to Settle Whistleblower Suits
Earlier this week, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Community Health Systems, Inc. will pay $97 million to resolve multiple whistleblower cases brought against the company under the False Claims Act. The global settlement will resolve seven qui tam (“whistleblower”) lawsuits brought in federal courts throughout the country. […]
Bank of America to Reportedly Pay $17 Billion in Mortgage Settlement
Reports surfaced this week that Bank of America and the U.S. Department of Justice have reached a tentative deal under which the bank would pay nearly $17 billion to resolve an investigation into its sale of toxic mortgage securities in the run-up to the financial crisis. It would represent the […]
Wrongfully Convicted Louisiana Man Exonerated by DNA Evidence
On June 25, 2014, a Louisiana judge overturned the conviction of Nathan Brown after results from DNA testing of crime scene evidence proved Brown is innocent. The DNA evidence matched an alternative suspect, a man currently incarcerated in Mississippi who lived only a few blocks away from the crime scene. […]
Wrongful Conviction Award Affirmed
A New York appellate court has unanimously affirmed a $5.5 million wrongful conviction award to Daniel Gristwood, an individual who falsely confessed to the attempted murder after police officers subjected him to a lengthy interrogation in a highly coercive manner. Police had investigated him in a small windowless room for […]
Nursing Home Pharmacy Company Settles False Claims Case
Omnicare, Inc., the nation’s largest provider of pharmaceuticals and pharmacy services to nursing homes, recently agreed to pay $124.4 million to settle a whistleblower suit. The government asserted that Omnicare offered improper financial incentives to skilled nursing facilities in return for their continued selection of Omnicare to supply drugs to […]