“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . .” Charles Dickens’ famous line from A Tale of Two Cities may have been echoing in the ears of Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys a bit over the last month. On February 7, 2023, DOJ issued its annual report on fraud and False Claims Act (FCA) recoveries for fiscal year 2022. After the agency recovered over $5.6 Billion in fiscal year 2021, the annual report disclosed what the government might consider a disappointing $2.2 Billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud and the FCA in fiscal year 2022. The $2.2 Billion is the lowest amount recovered since FY 2008 and represented an almost-60% drop over the course of a single year. The low dollar figure does not tell the whole story of 2022, however. 2022 was an interesting year for the False Claims Act, and government contractors should note a few key takeaways from DOJ’s annual report to understand key trends for the future of the FCA. Also, visit this link to register for PilieroMazza’s March 8 webinar “2022 FCA Year in Review and Emerging Trends for 2023.”
The sharp drop-off in recoveries from FY 2021 to FY 2022 is staggering, to be sure. Indeed, in context, the numbers were even lower than they appeared. DOJ recovered $843.8 Million from a single whistleblower case against pharmaceutical company Biogen Inc. mere days before the end of the fiscal year. A delay in that settlement by just a couple of...
The Green Party has suspended a London council candidate who shared social media posts blaming Israel for the arson attacks on Jewish volunteer ambulances in March. A repost on the social media pr...