Express/Implied Certification

The False Claims Act, despite its name, does not define what it means for a claim to be “false” or “fraudulent.” This post examines the primary ways courts have interpreted the False Claims Act’s falsity element and discusses common issues that arise concerning falsity.
Continue Reading False Claims Act Fundamentals: What Is a False Claim?

The FCA continues to be the federal government’s primary civil enforcement tool for investigating allegations that healthcare providers or government contractors defrauded the federal government. In the coming weeks, we are taking a closer look at recent legal developments involving the FCA. This week, we examine recent court decisions following Escobar that considered the express certification theory of FCA liability.
Continue Reading FCA Deeper Dive: Express Certification

This summer, the Northern District of California issued an opinion in an intervened case that expanded the theory of express false certification to a startling degree. Ruling on a motion to dismiss, the court in U.S. ex rel. Dresser v. Qualum Corp. (No. 5:2012-cv-01745, N.D. Cal.) held that the defendants, owners and operators of a sleep clinic and a DME company, could be subject to express false certification liability for submitting CMS-1500 claim forms in which they certified their compliance “with all applicable Medicare and/or Medicaid laws, regulations, and program instructions for payment.” According to the court, this general legal certification was sufficient to support an express false certification claim because “by submitting the CMS-1500, Defendants falsely certified that they had complied with Medicare regulations, even though they were not complying with the personnel qualification requirement, and they made this certification knowingly.”
Continue Reading North District of California Misconstrues Express False Certification Liability