The UK’s Prime Minster David Cameron has just hosted the “Anti-Corruption Summit”, a first of its kind, bringing together world leaders, business, and civil society with the goal of seeking to agree on a package of steps to:
Tenth Circuit Elaborates Upon FCA’s Materiality Requirement
The FCA’s implied certification theory is based on the concept that every time a payee submits a claim to the government it has impliedly certified compliance with all contractual, statutory, and regulatory obligations, and therefore, is entitled to payment. While the courts are currently divided on whether implied certification is a valid theory of liability, the courts that
Buyer Beware: Noncompliant Electronic I-9 Software Risks Customer Company Fines
Electronic I-9 software can be very attractive to companies looking for efficiency and ensuring compliance. Not to mention the elimination of file drawers that once housed these voluminous paper I-9 files. However, buyers beware, not all electronic I-9 software meets the federal regulations’ requirements. And the problem for well-meaning companies: ICE will still hold the
Oral Arguments in PHH Case Signal Trouble for CFPB
The D.C. Circuit held oral arguments on April 12, 2016 in the case PHH Corp v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a case challenging the CFPB’s constitutionality as well as its interpretations of the Real Estate Procedures Settlement Act (RESPA), including its view that no statute of limitations applies to RESPA violations challenged by the
You Can Pay Your Lawyer: Supreme Court Recognizes Limits on Pretrial Asset Restraints
Before the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last week in Luis v. United States, the government could freeze a criminal defendant’s assets before trial even if they bore no connection to the alleged crimes. With the ruling, if the restraint prevents the defendant from paying for counsel, it violates the Sixth Amendment.
Sila Luis faced
Fifth Circuit Provides Guidance on Who Has Standing to Pursue an FCA Retaliation Claim
In United States ex rel. Bias v. Tangipahoa Parish School Bd., — F.3d —-, 2016 WL 906227 (5th Cir. 2016), the Fifth Circuit provided guidance on the scope of individuals with standing to bring an FCA retaliation claim under 31 U.S.C. § 3730(h). In reversing the lower court’s dismissal, the circuit court explained that
The SFO’s “ongoing” investigation into Alstom – Further Charges
We originally wrote in 2014 about charges that had been brought in September of that year by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office against the French Multinational’s UK subsidiary, Alstom Network UK Ltd, and two former employees and British nationals for corruption offences (under pre-Bribery Act era legislation) relating to transport projects in India, Poland, and Tunisia.
7th Circ. May Be Willing To End FCA Circuit Split
The False Claims Act’s “public disclosure bar” calls for dismissal of complaints by qui tam plaintiffs (or “relators”) whose allegations have already been publicly disclosed. The primary aim of the bar is preventing parasitic suits based on public information. Courts generally agree that disclosure to the government alone does not count as disclosure to the
The Olympus Debacle: Why Internal Whistleblowing is a Good Thing for Compliance
The U.S. Department of Justice announced last week that Olympus Corporation of the Americas (OCA) agreed to pay $646 million to resolve three cases relating to its longstanding practice to bribe doctors and hospitals in the U.S. and abroad. The company entered deferred prosecution agreements (DPA) related to violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and
Sharper Teeth for Sanctions Enforcement
The current UK sanctions enforcement regime is a complicated web reflecting the requirements of UN Security Council Regulations, EU Regulations, and UK Primary and Secondary Legislation. Penalties for breaches of sanctions are generally set out in the various statutory instruments that implement particular sanctions.
The UK Government, through the Policing and Crime Bill that is