Whistleblower Law Collaborative LLC Wins Law360 Health Care Group of the Year

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Mar 01, 2023, 13:41 ET

BOSTON, March 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Whistleblower Law Collaborative is pleased to announce it has been named a Law360 Health Care Group of the Year for 2022. WLC was the only whistleblower firm selected for this award. The awards "honor the attorney teams behind litigation wins and major deals that resonated throughout the legal industry this past year." Whistleblower Law Collaborative was chosen because the firm "successfully steered a host of high-stakes whistleblower suits in the health care field last year," said Law360.

"And succeed they do. Whistleblower Law Collaborative's work on behalf of whistleblowers in the health care space has led to more than $278 million worth of settlements by key drugmakers like Mallinckrodt ARD LLC and Cardinal Health Inc., as well as medical device maker Arthrex Inc. and many more."

Indeed, the award caps off an exceptional period of success for Whistleblower Law Collaborative. Our health care victories during this period resulted in total recoveries for the federal and state governments of over $290 million and awards to our clients of close to $50 million. This includes the following six notable qui tam wins by WLC clients.

Mallinckrodt ARD LLC--$234 million. Mallinckrodt and a subsidiary agreed to pay the United States and numerous states $234 million for knowingly underpaying Medicaid rebates for its drug Acthar. Mallinckrodt also entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) with the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). As a result of the litigation and settlement, Mallinckrodt also began to report accurately Acthar pricing information, expected to save the Medicaid program of approximately $100 million per year.
Arthrex Inc.--$16 million. Arthrex, Inc., a Florida-based medical device, paid $16 million to the United States to resolve allegations that Arthrex paid kickbacks to physicians to market two of its surgical products in violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b) (AKS). The company also entered into a CIA with HHS-OIG.
Cardinal Health--$13.125 million. Cardinal, one of the three largest drug wholesalers/distributors in the United States, paid the United States and certain States $13.125 million to settle allegations that it was offering and paying physician practices kickbacks to induce the practices to purchase specialty pharmaceutical products from Cardinal instead of a competitor. The company also entered into a CIA with HHS-OIG.
BioReference Laboratories, Inc. and OPKO Health, Inc.--$10 million. One of the largest clinical laboratories in the country, BioReference, paid the United States, Connecticut, and Massachusetts $10 million to settle allegations that the company induced physician practices to refer their laboratory business to BioReference. The company also entered into a CIA with HHS-OIG.
DermaTran Health--$6.87 million. DermaTran Health Solutions, LLC, a compounding pharmacy based in Rome, Georgia, and other defendants paid $6.87 to the United States to settle allegations that they violated they waived patient copays, charged the government higher prices than permitted, and traded federal healthcare business with other pharmacies.
CleanSlate Centers--$6 million. A nationwide chain of opioid treatment centers and its founder, Dr. Amanda Wilson, settled claims with the United States, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the State of Indiana for false claims to Medicare and Medicaid related to unnecessary and illegal drug testing practices. As part of the settlement, CleanSlate entered into a compliance program with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

"We are grateful for the recognition of the practice we have built," said Managing Member Suzanne Durrell. "Our success is a testament to the top-notch team of former government attorneys we have assembled, our talented paralegals, our brave clients who have risked jobs and reputations to put a stop to corporate attempts to steal from the public and taxpayers, and the dedicated federal and state government attorneys, investigators, and others with whom we collaborate on these cases."

Whistleblower Law Collaborative LLC, based in Boston, devotes its practice entirely to representing clients nationwide in bringing actions under the federal and state False Claims Acts and other whistleblower programs. Under the False Claims Act, a private citizen (known as a "relator") who suspects or knows of fraud against the government can act as a whistleblower and file a sealed complaint on behalf of the government. Successful cases lead to a recovery for the government and entitle the relator to a share of the government's recovery.

For questions or comment on the firm's practice areas or the cases discussed here, please contact Managing Member, Suzanne Durrell at 617.371.0936. For new case inquiries please contact the Whistleblower Law Collaborative at 617.366.2800.

SOURCE Whistleblower Law Collaborative LLC