Expert Advice -- Caveat Emptor
Client Alert | 1 min read | 01.15.04
On the heels of a district court rejecting a company's reliance on expert advice in a recent False Claims Act case involving independent research and development charges (U.S. v. Newport News Shipbuilding, Inc., 276 F. Supp. 2d 539 (E.D. Va. 2003)), the Department of Justice has filed a complaint against a major accounting firm alleging that advice provided by that firm to a number of its healthcare clients caused the clients to submit "false claims" in the form of inflated bills for Medicare patients (U.S. v. Ernst & Young, LLP (E.D. Pa., filed Jan. 5, 2004)). Read in conjunction, these cases suggest that reliance on advice from outside accounting experts and other consultants as a defense to FCA charges may not be a safe harbor, particularly in circumstances where there is reason to believe that the expert advice will be perceived as "aggressive" by the government.
Insights
Client Alert | 3 min read | 01.26.26
8(a) Participants – and the 8(a) Program – Under the Microscope or on the Chopping Block
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has rolled out changes to its 8(a) Program even as it suspends 8(a) participants for failure to respond to the SBA’s December 5, 2025 8(a) audit letters.
Client Alert | 3 min read | 01.21.26
Atlantic Biologicals Opioid DPA: DOJ Continues Ramp Up of Criminal Corporate Healthcare Enforcement
Client Alert | 3 min read | 01.21.26
FedRAMP Proposes Updates to Authorization Process—Six New RFCs Released for Public Comment
Client Alert | 3 min read | 01.20.26
DoW Joins SBA’s Fight Against Alleged Pass-Through Fraud in the 8(a) Program
