Whistleblower News From The Inside -- February 8, 2018

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team

South Carolina man found liable of $51M of healthcare fraud — Cal Dent and two co-conspirators paid kickbacks to doctors across the country to get them to order medically unnecessary blood tests from Health Diagnostics Laboratory. Physicians were paid a “process and handling fee” of $17 per referral to the lab. USAO South Carolina

Kentucky ear, nose, and throat doctor settles FCA suit for $2.8M — Dr. Phillip Klapper has resolved allegations that he improperly sought reimbursement under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act for hearing aids and related tests. Specifically, Klapper allegedly submitted claims for tests that indicated the tests were performed by licensed personnel, when in reality they were not. The case was brought by a whistleblower, a former employee of Klapper’s, who will receive $475k. USAO Western District of Kentucky

Furniture company settles FCA suit for $500k — Home Furnishings Resource Group has settled allegations that it avoid customs duties when importing furniture from China. The company allegedly misclassified the imported furniture as “non-bedroom furniture,” which allowed it to avoid an anti-dumping penalty. The suit was brought by a whistleblower, a competitor of the defendant’s called University Loft Company, which will receive $75k. USAO Western District of Texas.