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Sixth Circuit Recognizes Exception to Heightened Standard for Pleading False Claim

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 10.12.16

In U.S. ex rel. Prather v. Brookdale Senior Living Communities Inc. (Sept. 30, 2016), the Sixth Circuit held that a relator pled the “presentment” element even though the relator did not allege information regarding the submission of a specific request for payment. The court reasoned that, in the majority of cases, plaintiffs would need to plead representative false claims but that a relator could survive a motion to dismiss by pleading specific facts based on personal, billing-related knowledge that support a strong inference that specific false claims were submitted for payment.

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Client Alert | 3 min read | 08.18.25

FCPA Enforcement Continues to Evolve with Newly Unsealed Indictment

On August 11, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced that it had unsealed an indictment against two Mexican businessmen for alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”). DOJ asserts that the defendants, both Mexican nationals living in Texas, paid bribes to officials at Petróleos Mexicanos (“PEMEX”), and its subsidiary, PEMEX Exploración y Producción (“PEP”) to secure contracts worth an estimated $2.5 million. These charges come amidst a period of uncertainty regarding FCPA enforcement following the Trump administration’s temporary pause on FCPA enforcement and the subsequent issuance of new investigation and enforcement guidelines....