On July 9, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced it sent more than 20 subpoenas to physicians and clinics involved in providing gender-affirming care to minors, and that the subpoenas related to investigations into healthcare fraud, false statements and other misconduct.[i] DOJ’s recent announcement, combined with the other actions described below, signal the government’s interest in pursuing action against providers that bill federal healthcare programs for gender-affirming care for minors, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries. Specifically, these actions strongly suggest that the government will investigate not only criminal claims but also civil claims under the False Claims Act[ii] (“FCA”) against gender-affirming care providers that bill federal healthcare programs for services provided to minors, relying on bases related to miscoding/misbilling, lack of informed consent and lack of medical necessity. The FCA provides for treble damages and penalties of up to $28,619 per claim. We discuss each of these theories below and what providers can do to reduce potential exposure under these theories.
On January 28, 2025, the White House issued Executive Order 14187[iii] (the “EO”) entitled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation.” The EO directed the federal government to take steps to ensure that the federal government does not “sponsor, promote, assist, or support” the “‘transition’ of a child from one sex to...
South Korean actor Gong Yoo has been cleared of wrongdoing after a woman falsely accused him of harassment. The Daejeon District Court sentenced the woman to six months in prison. Gong Yoo legally...