Whistleblower News From The Inside — February 23, 2016

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team

Tenet Healthcare Corp. offers to pay $238M to settle whistleblower charges of illegal kickbacks — The whistleblower and government allege the Dallas-based hospital chain violated the False Claims Act by engaging in a kickback scheme for maternity referrals with four of its Georgia hospitals.  Modern Healthcare

9th Circuit says Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not federal agencies covered under False Claims Act — “A Ninth Circuit panel has refused to revive a whistleblower False Claims Act lawsuit based on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans, finding in the decision published Monday that the entities don’t qualify as agents of the U.S. and thus don’t allow for FCA claims under that definition.”  Law 360

Tax whistleblowers winning in Tax Court — Two recent cases “make clear that whistleblowers can go to Tax Court, have their rights protected and at the end of the day receive a substantial award.”  Forbes

Three importers and their owners to pay $3M to settle whistleblower charges of evading customs duties — The whistleblower and government alleged the Pennsylvania-based importers violated the False Claims Act by evading customs duties on imports of small-diameter graphite electrodes from China.  DOJ

FDA questioning whether faulty blood monitor tainted Xarelto approval — The agency “is investigating whether a faulty blood-testing device may have compromised the results of a clinical trial that led to the approval of Xarelto, a blockbuster anticlotting drug that has been prescribed to millions of Americans since it arrived on the market in 2011.”  NYT

Cay Clubs Resorts founder gets 40 years in federal prison for fraud — “Federal authorities say Cay Clubs raised more than $300 million from unit buyers but the operation turned into an illegal Ponzi scheme when the firm began using new buyers’ money to pay lease-back fees owed to earlier buyers.”  Miami Herald