Ambiguity Remains After Escobar
Client Alert | 1 min read | 11.09.16
In U.S. ex rel. Nelson v. Sanford-Brown Ltd. (Oct. 24, 2016), the Seventh Circuit, applying the materiality standard articulated by the Supreme Court in Escobar (discussion available here), held that the relator’s allegations that the college inflated grades and job placement figures and paid bonuses to employees for recruitment to fraudulently obtain federal student aid money failed because there was no evidence that the college had made any express or implied representations with its claims for payment or evidence that the government’s payment decision would likely have been different had it known of the alleged misrepresentations. In contrast, the Eighth Circuit in U.S. ex rel. Miller v. Weston Educ. Inc. (Oct. 19, 2016) held that similar allegations withstood summary judgment (as noted by C&M here), suggesting that the Supreme Court’s decision in Escobar may not have resolved the circuit split on implied certification after all.
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Client Alert | 4 min read | 11.09.26
CMS Finalizes Its 2026 Organ Procurement Organization Rule
On November 3, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a follow-up to its 2020 final rule governing conditions of participation for organ procurement organizations (OPO). CMS’s final rule in 2020 set forth outcome measures for OPOs. The latest final rule further cements the new rating structure that will determine which of the 55 OPOs will be recertified at the end of the current cycle. The final rule largely tracks CMS’s proposed rule, which we discuss here, with the following notable exceptions:
Client Alert | 7 min read | 11.05.26
2026 State Attorney General Elections: What Businesses Should Expect
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.05.26
Federal, State, and Local Regulators Sue Toast Over B2B Advertising and Subscriptions
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.04.26
CMS Proposal Would Overhaul Eligibility Rules for ACA Exchanges


