FCA UPDATE
FCA UPDATE
Exploring Recent Developments in False Claims Act Litigation, Enforcement and Compliance
FCA UPDATE
Exploring Recent Developments in False Claims Act Litigation, Enforcement and Compliance
materiality standard
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Third Circuit Affirms Dismissal of FCA Suit against Genentech Based on Supreme Court’s Materiality Standard

By on May 10, 2017
Posted In

On May 1, 2017, the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal of United States ex rel. Petratos, et al. v. Genentech, Inc., et al., No. 15-3801 (3d. Cir. May 1, 2017). On appeal from the US District Court for the District of New Jersey, the Third Circuit reinforced the applicability of the materiality standard set forth by the US Supreme Court in Universal Health Services v. Escobar. Per the Court, the relator’s claims implicate “three interlocking federal schemes:” the False Claims Act (FCA), Medicare reimbursement, and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.

The relator, Gerasimos Petratos, was the former head of health care data analytics at Genentech.  He alleged that Genentech suppressed data related to the cancer drug Avastin, thereby causing physicians to certify incorrectly that the drug was “reasonable and necessary” for certain Medicare patients. This standard is drawn from Medicare’s statutory framework: “no payment may be made” for items and services that “are not reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of illness or injury.” 42 U.S.C. § 1395y(a)(1)(A) (emphasis added).  In turn, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) consider whether a drug has received FDA approval in determining, for its part, whether a drug is “reasonable and necessary.” Petratos claimed that Genentech “ignored and suppressed data that would have shown that Avastin’s side effects for certain patients were more common and severe than reported.” Petratos further asserted that analyses of these data would have required the company to file adverse-event reports with the FDA and could have triggered the need to change Avastin’s FDA label.

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SDNY Dismisses Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis Complaint on Materiality Grounds Because Government Paid Claims Despite Notice of Alleged Fraud

By on Mar 8, 2017
Posted In

On March 2, 2017, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York applied the materiality standard announced by the Supreme Court of the United States in Universal Health Services, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Escobar to dismiss a relator’s complaint because the relator, a former managing director of Moody’s, failed to plead materiality as a matter of law.

In United States ex rel. Kolchinsky v. Moody’s Corp., the district court had previously dismissed with prejudice four of five categories of claims, and dismissed without prejudice the relator’s “Ratings Delivery Service” claim, i.e., that Moody’s provided inaccurate ratings directly to subscribers, including government agencies.  In his Second Amended Complaint, the relator attempted to cure the pleading defects of Ratings Delivery Service claim in a “124-page tome,” but to no avail. (more…)



Sanford-Brown on Remand: Seventh Circuit Jettisons Relator’s Case Under Escobar Standard

By on Oct 25, 2016
Posted In

We previously reported on the Seventh Circuit’s decision in United States ex rel. Nelson v. Sanford-Brown Ltd.,

in which the court rejected the implied certification theory of FCA liability and granted summary judgment for the defendant.  Following the Supreme Court’s decision in the Escobar case, the Seventh Circuit revisited its decision on October 24, 2016.  Once again, the Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court’s entry of summary judgment in the defendant’s favor, this time pursuant to the standards for implied certification claims announced in Escobar.

In Escobar, the Supreme Court held that implied certification can be a basis for liability when the claim for payment makes specific representations about the goods or services provided and the defendant’s failure to disclose noncompliance with material legal obligations makes those representations “misleading half-truths.”  In Sanford-Brown, the Seventh Circuit concluded that the relator failed to demonstrate any specific representations, never mind those that were misleading.

In addition, the court applied the Escobar court’s holding that FCA plaintiffs must demonstrate materiality, holding that the relator’s claims could not survive on that additional basis.  The Seventh Circuit quoted the Supreme Court’s characterization of the materiality standard as “demanding” and “rigorous.”  The Seventh Circuit observed that, under Escobar, courts must look to the “likely or actual” payment behavior of the government payor.  The Seventh Circuit held:

Here, Nelson has offered no evidence that the government’s decision to pay SBC would likely or actually have been different had it known of SBC’s alleged noncompliance with Title IV regulations.

In fact, the court observed that the government had examined the defendant multiple times.  The court concluded:

At bottom, even assuming Nelson’s allegations are true, the most he has shown is that SBC’s supposed noncompliance and misrepresentations would have entitled the government to decline payment.  Under [Escobar], that is not enough.

This decision is consistent with what the Supreme Court held in Escobar: the government’s mere option to decline to pay claims is insufficient to establish materiality and, thus, insufficient to establish FCA liability.



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