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 […]
Justice Department Announces $4 Billion Civil Penalty to be Paid by CitiGroup
On July 14, 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a $7 billion settlement with CitiGroup, Inc. to resolve federal and state claims related to CitiGroup’s actions with residential mortgage-backed securities prior to January 1, 2009. The settlement includes a $4 billion civil penalty, the largest penalty ever under the […]
CitiGroup to Pay $7 Billion to Settle Mortgage Fraud Claims
CitiGroup has agreed to pay $7 billion to settle charges that it packaged bad mortgages in the period leading up to the financial crisis. The settlement includes $4 billion in penalties, $2.5 billion in mortgage modifications and other relief to homeowners, and $500 million to be paid to a number […]
Tennessee Man Exonerated After 11 Years In Prison
The Marshall County District Attorney General’s Office recently dismissed all remaining charges against a Tennessee man, Randy Mills, thus exonerating him of a 1999 rape. The dismissal was in response to a November 2013 decision by the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals which ordered a new trial for Mills based […]
Tenet Healthcare Settles False Claims Act Case for $5 Million
Tenet Healthcare Corp., an owner of various hospitals and medical centers, recently settled a whistleblower case for $5 million. In this False Claims Act case, Tenet was accused of paying kickbacks to doctors in return for patient referrals to its hospitals. Specifically, Tenet was accused of paying kickbacks to doctors […]
CFPB Study Finds Medical Debt Overly Penalizes Consumer Credit Scores
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a study titled “CFPB Data Point: Medical Debt and Credit Scores” on May 20, 2014, which found that consumers’ credit scores may be overly penalized for medical debt that goes into collections and shows up on their credit report. The study also found […]
New York Times Magazine Article Illustrates How Forced Arbitration Harms Consumers
A New York Times magazine story written by Emily Bazelon illustrates how forced arbitration denies consumers justice and the benefits of consumer protection laws. The piece titled “How Payday Lenders Prey Upon The Poor – And The Courts Don’t Help” was published April 18, 2014. The article focuses on payday […]
North Carolina Man Will Receive New Trial After 19 Years In Prison
Due to misconduct on the part of a North Carolina prosecutor and a Durham police detective, a North Carolina judge ordered last week that an inmate who has been imprisoned for 19 years and who has repeatedly proclaimed his innocence will receive a new trial. Darryl Anthony Howard was arrested […]
Medtronic Settles Whistleblower Lawsuit
On May 28, 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the settlement of a qui tam (“whistleblower”) lawsuit against Medtronic, Inc. over allegations that the medical device company improperly paid doctors to implant the company’s pacemakers and defibrillators. The settlement brings to an end a case initially brought forth five […]
Workers’ Comp: Cost of State Claims Is Due to Short-Sighted, Ineffective Risk Management Policies
Since the economic crisis of 2008, I have been predicting that North Carolina politicians would declare a ‘crisis’ over the cost of workers’ compensation claims for State employees, teachers, and school-bus drivers. (Currently, the State is responsible for the workplace injury claims of all these groups.) I have also predicted […]