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Can Employee Releases Bar False Claims Act Actions?

Client Alert | 1 min read | 03.15.06

Government contractors should take notice that recent court decisions indicate a possible shift in the law that may foretell greater success in using releases to bar False Claims Act qui tam actions by former employees. In their article “Employee Releases: A Tool Federal Contractors Can Use To Protect Themselves Against False Claims Act Liability” published in the February 21, 2006, BNA Federal Contracts Report (http://www.crowell.com/pdf/newsroom/FCR_Kunz-Goodman.pdf), Cathy Kunz and Jody Goodman of C&M discuss the jurisprudence that releases cannot be used to prevent former employees from bringing FCA actions against employers and analyze two recent decisions that diverge from this precedent and open the door for the enforcement of employee releases to bar qui tam actions.

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Client Alert | 3 min read | 04.25.24

JUST RELEASED: EPA’s Bold New Strategic Civil-Criminal Enforcement Collaboration Policy

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) just issued its new Strategic Civil-Criminal Enforcement Policy, setting the stage for the new manner in which the agency manages its pollution investigations. David M. Uhlmann, the head of OECA, signed the Policy memorandum on April 17, 2024, in order to ensure that EPA’s civil and criminal enforcement offices collaborate efficiently and consistently in cases across the nation. The Policy states, “EPA must exercise enforcement discretion reasonably when deciding whether a particular matter warrants criminal, civil, or administrative enforcement. Criminal enforcement should be reserved for the most egregious violations.” Uhlmann repeated this statement during a luncheon on April 23, 2024, while also emphasizing the new level of energy this collaborative effort has brought to the enforcement programs....

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