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Former Regional Director of the SEC’s Chicago Office Joins Constantine Cannon’s Whistleblower Practice

Posted  12/8/21
Joel R. Levin brings deep experience to the largest and most successful international whistleblower practice in the world
NEW YORK, NY (12/3/2021)—Constantine Cannon LLP is pleased to announce that Joel R. Levin, former Regional Director of the Chicago office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), will be joining the firm’s whistleblower practice as Of Counsel. Mr. Levin brings a breadth of...

Constantine Cannon Announces First-Ever NHTSA Whistleblower Award In Hyundai-Kia Engine Defect Case

Posted  11/9/21
Award to former Hyundai safety engineer in South Korea highlights the international reach of U.S. whistleblower laws, which provide awards to those who report fraud or corruption
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (November 9, 2021) –Constantine Cannon is pleased to announce that its client, former Hyundai safety engineer Kim Gwang-ho, has received $24.3 million in the first-ever whistleblower award from the U.S. National Highway...

U.S. Intervenes in Whistleblower Lawsuit brought by Constantine Cannon Client against Independent Health and Related Entities for Defrauding Medicare Advantage Program

Posted  09/15/21
  • Medicare Advantage Organization and its subsidiaries allegedly ignored federal guidelines for proper coding of medical conditions for Medicare Part “C” reimbursement
  • In a rare move, a medical coding review company owned by IH is also a party named in the complaint, along with a key executive who allegedly helped the insurer game the system
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed its...

Constantine Cannon Client Secures Record $90 Million False Claims Act Whistleblower Settlement with Sutter Health

Posted  08/30/21
Sutter Health settles closely watched whistleblower lawsuit alleging it violated the False Claims Act by submitting inaccurate and unsupported medical information on tens of thousands of patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (August 30, 2021) – Constantine Cannon, together with co-counsel Keller Grover and Kleiman Rajaram, announce the landmark $90 million False Claims Act settlement with...

Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Client Wins First-Ever False Claims Act Settlement for Cybersecurity Fraud

Posted  07/31/19
Cisco Systems, a Fortune 100 Company, was alleged to be selling security surveillance technology to federal, state, and local agencies while fully conscious of its serious vulnerabilities.
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 31, 2019 – In the first cybersecurity whistleblower case ever successfully litigated under the False Claims Act, Cisco Systems, Inc. has agreed to an $8.6 million settlement to resolve allegations it...

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Brings Healthcare Expertise to Constantine Cannon's Whistleblower Practice

Posted  10/29/18
Constantine Cannon LLP is pleased to announce that Edward A. Baker, a former Assistant United States Attorney and Healthcare Fraud Coordinator in the Eastern District of California, has joined the firm's whistleblower practice as Of Counsel in its Washington, D.C., office. Mr. Baker brings his substantial experience in litigating healthcare fraud to the whistleblower practice of more than 20 attorneys who work...

May 30, 2017

Posted  05/31/17
By Mary Inman
Constantine Cannon serves as lead counsel representing whistleblower Dr. Darren Sewell in largest successful whistleblower settlement for claims of risk adjustment fraud at $16.7 million.  Total settlement against Freedom Health and Optimum Healthcare, two Florida Medicare Advantage plans, and former Chief Operating Officer Sidd Pagidipati exceeds $32 million.   Read the Constantine Cannon press release, the Dept....

$2.6 Million Whistleblower Settlement With Bay Sleep Clinic

The clinic will settle whistleblower allegations of using unlicensed technicians and unapproved locations and of doctor kickback referrals. Constantine Cannon LLP is pleased to announce a $2.6 million settlement on behalf of its client for whistleblower allegations against Bay Sleep Clinic. The settlement was announced by the United States government on December 28, 2016, against Bay Sleep Clinic, which currently operates 20 locations throughout northern California; its related Qualium Corporation and Amerimed Corporation businesses; and owners and operators Anooshiravan Mostowfipour and Tara Nader. The “qui tam,” or whistleblower, lawsuit alleged that the defendants fraudulently billed Medicare for sleep studies conducted by unlicensed individuals in unapproved locations; improperly dispensed durable medical equipment from unapproved locations using unlicensed technicians; and paid doctors for referrals in violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. The defendants neither admitted nor denied liability. The whistleblower, Elma F. Dresser, is a former Bay Sleep Clinic employee who worked as a sleep technician and marketer for eight years. Through her various roles at the company, Ms. Dresser became familiar with the defendants’ alleged scheme to bilk money from Medicare. She filed her suit in 2012, leading the government to investigate the claims and join the case. Ms. Dresser was represented by Eric R. Havian, partner and attorney, Jessica T. Moore, partner and attorney, Anne Hayes Hartman, partner and attorney, Hallie Noecker, attorney, and Sarah Poppy Alexander, attorney of Constantine Cannon’s whistleblower practice in San Francisco, along with co-counsel from the Law Office of William C. Dresser. “It’s rewarding to see the alleged fraudsters held responsible. Because of the close cooperation and work between the whistleblower and the government, we were able to recover significant funds for the government,” said Anne Hayes Hartman, co-lead counsel on the case. “It is gratifying to represent people like Elma Dresser, who bravely stepped forward with knowledge of her employer’s wrongdoing. Many do not appreciate the risks whistleblowers face to hold alleged wrongdoers accountable.” “Sleep studies are a quickly expanding medical field,” said Jessica T. Moore, who served as co- lead counsel on the case. “Ensuring the safety of these procedures should be a top priority of the government for all patients, Medicare and otherwise.” The federal False Claims Act allows whistleblowers to sue companies that are defrauding the government and receive a reward if the government recovers any funds as a result. The government may choose to intervene in the lawsuit, as it has done in this case. The False Claims Act is one of the government’s most effective weapons in combatting fraud, waste, and abuse by those who contract with the government. Healthcare fraud alone is estimated to cost the U.S. billions of dollars. Such fraud can be difficult to discern without access to inside information; well-placed whistleblowers are necessary to provide the information the government might otherwise lack to help stop these practices.
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