Christopher Pinto

Christopher Pinto is a counsel in Crowell & Moring’s Washington D.C. office and is a member of the firm’s Health Care, Government Contracts, and Digital Transformation groups.

Chris has an active government contracts practice focusing on False Claims Act investigations, bid protests, federal regulatory and ethics compliance, and government contracts disputes before the Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. His health care practice includes representing insurers and providers in litigation against the U.S. government, defending insurers in ERISA and civil litigation, and conducting investigations and compliance work on behalf of Medicare providers. Chris is also a key member of the firm’s Digital Health group, where he advises clients on HIPAA, cybersecurity policy, and compliance with digital health programs tied to provider reimbursements.

Chris also maintains an active pro bono practice. He recently provided comments to the 2017 Religious and Moral Exemptions IFRs on behalf of women of color and LGBT persons. In 2018, he provided comments to the current Administration’s changes to Section 1557 of the ACA. He secured victories in Immigration Court for a Ugandan client seeking asylum on the basis of sexual orientation, a Guinean man fleeing persecution based on his political opinion, and a Salvadoran man who was targeted by the gang MS-13. He currently represents additional clients seeking asylum on the basis of political opinion and sexual orientation, and also represents a client seeking legal immigration status under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

While attending law school, Chris worked at the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, where he authored a report to the United Nations on gender-based violence and co-authored a report to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on Internally Displaced Persons. After his first year of law school, Chris interned at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP. Chris holds a degree in economics from the University of Miami, where he was a Coca-Cola Scholar and the university’s Fannie Lou Hamer award recipient. Prior to law school, he participated in biochemistry research and development for Johnson & Johnson. Chris has also been named "one to watch" by The Best Lawyers.

Representative Matters

• Representing multiple health care industry companies in connection with claims litigations regarding the Risk Corridors provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
• Representing insurance companies in connection with claims litigations regarding the Affordable Care Act’s cost-sharing reductions (CSRs).
• Conducting investigations on behalf of Medicare providers, resulting in legal recommendations and disclosures to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs).
• Defending a leading health services company in a contract dispute involving the creation, design, and operation of a large health plan.
• Representing large health insurers in arbitration and litigation proceedings involving Medicare rate disputes.
• Representing Medicare Part D insurers in arbitration and litigation proceedings pertaining to contract language and reimbursement.
• Defending companies in Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and False Claims Act (FCA) proceedings. 
• Representing a non-U.S. distributor seeking injunctive relief from a de facto FBI designation.