Whistleblower News From The Inside -- January 8, 2018
By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team
BofA Inks $5M Foreclosure FCA Deal After US Intervenes –The federal government reached a $5 million deal with Bank of America Corp. that settles a False Claims Act lawsuit alleging the financial giant and its affiliates used improper foreclosure-related practices, according to a joint stipulation for dismissal filed Friday in Florida federal court. Under the terms of the agreement, attached to the stipulation for dismissal, the Bank of America parties will pay $3.4 million to the U.S., of which $891,000 will go to the whistleblower who originally brought the suit, Bruce Jacobs, a Florida foreclosure attorney. Bank of America will also pay $1.5 million to Jacobs’ counsel and provide an additional $100,000 for the litigation costs and expenses. Law360
Judge Sticks By Approval Of $350M Shire FCA Deal Split – A Florida federal judge on Friday said he wouldn’t reconsider his order approving a plan to divvy up proceeds from biotech company Shire’s $350 million settlement of six related False Claims Act suits, rejecting one of the relators’ claims that the order violated due process and her right to a jury trial. Relator Heather G. Webb had urged U.S. District Judge James S. Moody Jr. last month to rethink his allocation ruling in an effort to increase the 0.35 percent piece of the pie designated for her Shire-related complaint in the plan he approved. But Judge Moody denied Webb’s reconsideration bid on Friday, saying it rehashed old issues and made arguments that could have been raised earlier. Law360
Boots Pharmacists Raise Staffing Concerns – Some Boots pharmacy staff say they are under too much pressure and fear mistakes will be made. One whistleblower, a former manager, said he resigned in 2015 after he took his concerns to the independent industry regulator. Several current Boots pharmacists told BBC Inside Out that understaffing could pose a risk to patients. But the chain said its pharmacies were not understaffed and it had an industry-leading patient safety record. Greg Lawton resigned from Boots in 2015. Greg Lawton, who worked for Boots between 2008 and 2015 and in his final role was part of the manpower planning team that assessed staffing levels in the company’s pharmacies, said the things he knew about staffing levels kept him awake at night. BBC News