FCA Does Not Authorize In-House Counsel/Relator to Reveal Client Confidences
Client Alert | 1 min read | 11.18.13
In Fair Lab. Practices Assocs. v. Quest Diagnostics (Oct. 25, 2013), the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a qui tam suit that was brought by a general partnership formed for the purpose of bringing the suit because (1) the partnership included the defendant's former general counsel, and (2) the former general counsel violated his ethical obligations by divulging confidential client information in pursuit of the litigation, notwithstanding that a non-lawyer member of the partnership initiated the suit. While the Second Circuit did not create a bright-line rule barring all in-house lawyers from using client information in FCA cases, it did strike a balance between a lawyer's ethical obligations to the client and the government's competing interest in encouraging "whistleblowers" to report fraud, finding that the disclosure exceeded what was necessary to prevent the client from committing a crime.
Insights
Client Alert | 7 min read | 11.02.26
DOL Finalizes PBM Fee Disclosure Requirements
On October 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) issued a 350-page final rule requiring providers of pharmacy benefit management services and their affiliated brokers and consultants to disclose fees and compensation received to fiduciaries of covered large, self-insured ERISA group health plans. According to DOL’s accompanying fact sheet, the disclosures will give employers more visibility into the payments PBMs may receive from various sources and help fiduciaries evaluate and monitor arrangements over time.
Client Alert | 4 min read | 10.30.26
Client Alert | 3 min read | 10.29.26
What University Licensors Should Learn From TexasLDPC v. Broadcom
