News

Best Lawyers® Names VSG Partner Janet Goldstein the 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” in Qui Tam Law in Washington, D.C.

August 20, 2024—Vogel, Slade & Goldstein, LLP, is proud to announce Best Lawyers® has named partner Janet Goldstein the 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” in Qui Tam Law in Washington, D.C. Janet Goldstein is an experienced qui tam lawyer who has spent over 25 years representing whistleblowers in False Claims Act cases and related wrongful termination…

Best Lawyers® names VSG Partner Janet Goldstein a Best Qui Tam Lawyer for 2024

August 25, 2023—Vogel, Slade & Goldstein, LLP, is proud to announce Janet Goldstein was once again named a “Best Lawyer in America for Qui Tam Law” in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Janet Goldstein is an experienced qui tam lawyer who has spent over 30 years representing whistleblowers in False Claims…

Best Lawyers® Names VSG Partner Shelley Slade a Best Qui Tam Lawyer and Qui Tam Lawyer of the Year in DC for 2024

August 24, 2023. Vogel, Slade & Goldstein, LLP, is proud to announce that Best Lawyers has named partner Shelley R. Slade “Lawyer of the Year” for Qui Tam Law in Washington, D.C. for 2024. Best Lawyers grants its “Lawyer of the Year” award to the lawyer who received the highest overall ratings from his or…

Walgreens, Stephen L. LaFrance Holdings Co. and Other USA Drug Chain Pharmacies Pay $16 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Overbilling Case

August 24, 2023. Vogel, Slade & Goldstein, LLP (VSG) announced today that Walgreens, Stephen L. LaFrance Holdings Co. and several companies that were part of USA Drug, a regional pharmacy chain acquired by Walgreens, have agreed to pay $16 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit brought by VSG’s client, Doug Strauser. The False Claims Act complaint…

Department of Justice Officials Explain New Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative

November 10, 2021.  This fall, the Department of Justice unveiled a new Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative which will be empowered to use the False Claims Act to pursue government contractors who have committed cybersecurity fraud.  Officials in the Department of Justice’s Civil Division clarified this week that the initiative will be focused on the following types…

Best Lawyers® names VSG Partner Janet Goldstein a Best Qui Tam Lawyer

Vogel, Slade & Goldstein, LLP, is proud to announce Janet Goldstein was once again named a “Best Lawyer in America for Qui Tam Law” and a “Best Lawyer in DC for Qui Tam Law” in the 2022 editions of The Best Lawyers in America and Washington, D.C’s Best Lawyers. Janet Goldstein is an experienced qui…

Best Lawyers® Names VSG Partner Shelley Slade a Best Qui Tam Lawyer and Qui Tam Lawyer of the Year in DC

September 16, 2021: Vogel, Slade & Goldstein, LLP, is proud to announce that in its 2022 edition of Washington, D.C’s Best Lawyers, Best Lawyers has named partner Shelley R. Slade “Lawyer of the Year” for Qui Tam Law in Washington, D.C. Best Lawyers grants its “Lawyer of the Year” award to the lawyer who received…

DOJ Moves to Dismiss Just Under 4% of Whistleblower Filings

In a December 19, 2019, letter to Senator Chuck Grassley, the U.S. Department of Justice has provided detailed information on its expanding use of its authority under the False Claims Act to dismiss cases brought by qui tam relators in which it has declined to intervene.   On January 10, 2018, Mike Granston, Director of…

VSG Recommends Tom Mueller’s New Book on Whistleblowing

VSG Partner Shelley R. Slade and author Tom Mueller   October 6, 2019. Journalist Tom Mueller, author of the New York Times bestseller on the olive oil industry, Extra Virginity, has just released the definitive book on whistleblowing in America: Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud.  While Mr. Mueller profiles government informants as…

CEO Pays $20M to Resolve SBA/VA Fraud Claims

August 28, 2019. Last week Luke Hillier, the former CEO of Virginia-based defense contractor ADS Tactical, Inc. (“ADS”) agreed to pay $20 million to settle False Claims Act (FCA) allegations that he steered ADS to fraudulently procure small business, set-aside contracts for which ADS was ineligible.[1]  ADS allegedly secretly controlled and struck deals with small…

Alaskan Native Sub KICD Pays $2.025 Million to Resolve FCA-Kickback Case

May 6, 2019. The Office of U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas last week announced a $2.025 million settlement in a False Claims Act (FCA) action brought by VSG Client, Susan Campbell.  In a complaint filed in January 2010, Ms. Campbell alleged that her former employer, KIC Development, LLC (KICD), an Arlington-Virginia based…

Former HMA CEO Gary Newsome Pays $3.5 Million to Settle Qui Tam Claims by VSG Clients

Washington DC April 30, 2019 – The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that Gary D. Newsome, former CEO of Health Management Associates LLC (HMA), will pay $3.5 million to settle allegations in a qui tam lawsuit that Newsome sought to maximize corporate profits by unlawfully inducing and pressuring Emergency Room (ER) physicians to increase…

Medicare Part D Sponsor Fraud and the False Claims Act

Uncle Sam Needs Whistleblowers to Expose Bid Inflation A new and expansive frontier may be opening up for qui tam lawsuits under the False Claims Act related to Medicare Part D fraud. Data analysis performed by the Wall Street Journal on confidentially-obtained bid documents has revealed that health insurance companies bidding to become Medicare Part…

Walgreens Pharmacy Chain Pays $209 Million to Settle VSG Clients’ Lawsuit Alleging Over-Dispensing of Insulin

Washington, D.C., January 22, 2019:   The law firm, Vogel, Slade & Goldstein, LLP,  announced today that Walgreens Boots Alliance has agreed to pay $209.2 million to the United States and a number of states to resolve a lawsuit brought by two of the firm’s whistleblower clients alleging that Walgreens knowingly bilked Medicare, Medicaid and other…

Hospital Chain Pays Over $260 Million to Settle Charges Arising from Whistleblower Lawsuits Brought by VSG Clients and Others

Washington DC September 25, 2018 – The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that Health Management Associates, LLC (HMA) will pay over $260 million to settle allegations raised in several “qui tam” (whistleblower) / False Claims Act lawsuits alleging that HMA pressured hospital emergency room (ER) doctors to increase the rate of ER-to-hospital admissions irrespective…

Navy Contractor Inchcape Shipping to Pay $20 Million to Settle VSG Qui Tam Whistleblower Billing Fraud Case

Whistleblower lawsuit alleged that Inchcape engaged in worldwide scheme to overcharge Navy ships

EmCare Pays $30 million to Settle Qui Tam Claims by VSG Clients and Others

Washington DC December 19, 2017 – EmCare reached a $30 million settlement with the Department of Justice on two “qui tam” (whistleblower) / False Claims Act lawsuits, including one brought by VSG clients, alleging that EmCare, Inc. received illegal remuneration from a major hospital chain in exchange for pressuring hospital emergency room (ER) doctors to increase the rate of ER-to-hospital admissions.

Social Security Administration Ceases Practices Challenged in VSG Lawsuit

WASHINGTON, D.C.  The Social Security Administration (SSA) has issued an Emergency Message, EM-17014, announcing that it is ceasing its practice of referring old debts (delinquent prior to May 19, 2002) for collection through the tax offset program. The Emergency Message further stated: “We will issue further instructions to issue refunds to debtors with a delinquency…

CA Inc. to Pay $45 Million to Settle VSG Qui Tam Whistleblower Case Alleging False Claims to GSA

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on March 10, 2017 that it has settled a VSG qui tam (whistleblower) False Claims Act lawsuit alleging that CA, Inc., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Islandia, NY and a major supplier of software to federal agencies, knowingly misrepresented its pricing and discounting practices during price negotiations with the General Services Administration…

Rob Vogel quoted in Bloomberg on court opinion in Lance Armstrong qui tam case

VSG partner Rob Vogel was quoted in a Bloomberg news article published on February 14, 2017, discussing a recent opinion by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in a False Claims Act case, United States ex rel. Floyd Landis v. Tailwind Sports Corp., 10-cv-00976 (D.D.C.).   In its opinion, the district court…

VS&G Qui Tam Client Sues Rite Aid Pharmacy for Usual and Customary Charge Violations

On January 19, 2017, the federal district court for the Eastern District of Michigan unsealed a qui tam action filed by VSG’s client, Adam Rahimi, against the Rite Aid Corporation, accusing the national pharmacy chain of illegally charging individuals insured by Medicaid and Medicare more than other customers for hundreds of prescription drugs over a…

VSG Partner Rob Vogel Speaks at Qui Tam Enforcement Conference in New York

On January 30, 2017, VSG partner Rob Vogel was featured as a speaker at the 4th Advanced Forum on False Claims & Qui Tam Enforcement, a legal education conference in New York City sponsored by the American Conference Institute. Mr. Vogel’s presentation, the “View from the Relator’s Bar,” discussed ways in which relators’ lawyers choose,…

Justice Department Announcement on 2016 Qui Tam Settlements Highlights VSG Lawsuit

The Department of Justice announced in a recent press release that its False Claims Act settlements in Fiscal Year 2016 exceeded $4.7 billion. The Department identified the $390 million settlement in VSG’s qui tam lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York against Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation as one of the top recoveries in 2016….

VSG Client David Kester Honored as “Whistleblower of the Year”

Washington, D.C., September 15, 2016: The national, non-profit, public interest organization Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund (TAFEF) today presented David Kester with its “Whistleblower of the Year” Award, announced Shelley R. Slade of Vogel, Slade & Goldstein, LLP. The firm represented Mr. Kester in a qui tam lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Novartis and specialty pharmacies…

VSG Pursues Lawsuit Against Social Security Administration

WASHINGTON, D.C. Vogel, Slade & Goldstein is continuing to pursue its class lawsuit against the Social Security Administration (SSA) in an appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Hart, et al. v. Colvin, No. 16-1371 (4th Cir.). The lawsuit, Grice, et al. v. Colvin, Civ. Action 14-1082 (D.Md.), alleges that…

1st Circuit Victory for VSG Client

In a significant victory for Vogel, Slade, & Goldstein client Robert Gadbois, as well as qui tam plaintiffs in general, the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in United States ex rel. Gadbois v. Pharmerica Corporation, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 21841 (1st Cir. Dec. 16, 2015) that a qui tam plaintiff may utilize Federal Rule…

VS&G Partners Named to Best Whistleblower Lawyers List

Washingtonian magazine has named all three Vogel, Slade & Goldstein partners – Robert L. Vogel, Shelley R. Slade and Janet L. Goldstein — to its 2017 “Best Whistleblower Lawyer” list. The three were named “Stars of the Bar” in the top whistleblower lawyer category published in the December 2017 issue of the Washingtonian. Attorneys Vogel, Slade and…

In Major Victory for Whistleblower David Kester, USA and States, Novartis Pays $390 Million to End Kickback Case

Washington, D.C. and New York: The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced today that the United States and numerous states, including New York, will resolve for $390 million a False Claims Act lawsuit against the Swiss drug manufacturer Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation brought by David M. Kester, a whistleblower jointly represented by…

U.S. Justice Department Joins False Claims Act Suit against Navy Contractor Alleging Worldwide Scheme to Overcharge Navy Ships

Whistleblower lawsuit alleges that Inchcape Shipping Services defrauded the Navy through a pattern of overcharges, kickbacks and false invoices Washington DC November 18, 2015 – The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that it has joined and elected to proceed with a “qui tam” (whistleblower) False Claims Act action alleging that Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS),…

VSG’s Navy Bribery Whistleblower Case Settles

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 4, 2015) Pursuant to settlement agreements between the parties, the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island dismissed a False Claims Act lawsuit brought by two clients of the whistleblower law firm Vogel, Slade and Goldstein to redress a Navy bribery scheme that dissipated an estimated $18 million in…

Government Settles VSG Qui Tam Kickback Case with Accredo Pharmacy for $60 million

Accredo resolves for $60 million VS&G client qui tam claims alleging pharmacy received rebates and patient referrals in exchange for drug recommendations On May 1, 2015, the specialty pharmacy chain Accredo Health Group, Inc. resolved for $60 million qui tam claims brought by VS&G client David Kester in a False Claims Act lawsuitthat also named…

Court Rules VS&G Qui Tam Whistleblower Lawsuit against Software Giant CA, Inc. May Go Forward

Washington, D.C., March 31, 2015. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied a motion to dismiss filed by CA, Inc., and ruled that qui tam whistleblower Dani Shemesh could continue to pursue his False Claims Act lawsuit alleging that CA violated the False Claims Act by making misrepresentations to the Government in…

Court Rules that Lawsuit Against Social Security Administration May Go Forward

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 31, 2015) A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit against the Social Security Administration (SSA) filed by Vogel, Slade & Goldstein attorney Rob Vogel may proceed. The lawsuit, filed as a class action complaint, alleges that the SSA wrongfully seized the tax refunds of hundreds of thousands of people to repay Social…

Government Joins Whistleblower Lawsuit by VS&G Client Alleging Computer Sciences Corp. & NYC Defrauded Medicaid

New York, October 28, 2014 — The federal government and New York State have joined a qui tam whistleblower lawsuit filed in 2012 by a former Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) employee represented by Washington, D.C. law firm Vogel, Slade & Goldstein.   The federal government has joined claims that VS&G’s client brought against New York City…

Whistleblower Receives $2.79 Million in Settlement of Medicare Fraud and Retaliation Lawsuit Against Extendicare

Former Employee’s Qui Tam Lawsuit Leads to $10 Million Taxpayer Recovery From Nursing Home Chain  Washington, D.C., October 10, 2014. Whistleblower Tracy Lovvorn, represented jointly by the qui tam law firm Vogel, Slade & Goldstein, and Katz, Marshall & Banks, announced today that she has settled her claims of Medicare fraud and retaliation for just under $2.8 million….

Former Sales Manager Files Whistleblower Complaint Against Novartis

Justice Department, 10 states join lawsuit alleging pharmaceutical giant ran massive kickback scheme with multiple pharmacies to boost sales of its patented drugs despite known side effects. A former Novartis sales manager has filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that the pharmaceutical giant engaged in a massive kickback scheme to unlawfully induce CVS Caremark and other pharmacies…

Whistleblower Lawsuit in Navy Kickbacks Continues

Vogel, Slade & Goldstein, along with their clients Karan and Rekha Vasudeva, continue to pursue the qui tam action that led to the convictions of six defendants in the District of Rhode Island for bribery and theft of Navy funds. Three defendants are now serving prison terms in Rhode Island, and three will face probation…

DOJ Joins VS&G Client Lawsuit Against For-Profit Hospital Chain & Ex-CEO for ER Admissions Scheme

Whistleblower lawsuit alleges that HMA, its former CEO Gary Newsome, and ER contractor EmCare induced and coerced ER doctors to admit more patients The U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) has intervened in a qui tam (whistleblower) False Claims Act lawsuit alleging that Health Management Associates, Inc. (HMA), the nation’s third-largest for-profit hospital chain, and its…

Software Giant CA Technologies Agrees to Pay $11 million to Settle Federal and Multi-State False Claims Act Whistleblower Lawsuit for Billing Fraud

Former employee alleged the company falsely billed hundreds of public agencies at federal, state and local levels CA Technologies, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Islandia, NY, has agreed to pay $11 million to settle whistleblower allegations that the software giant violated the federal False Claims Act and similar state and local statutes through the…

Qui Tam Lawyers Robert Vogel, Shelley Slade & Janet Goldstein Named “Whistleblower Lawyers of the Year” by Taxpayers Against Fraud

Qui tam lawyers Rob Vogel, Shelley Slade & Janet Goldstein of the national qui tam law firm Vogel, Slade & Goldstein, LLP, have been named “Whistleblower Lawyers of the Year” by Taxpayers Against Fraud, the preeminent public interest organization dedicated to combating fraud against the government. At its annual Awards Dinner on October 24, 2013…

J&J Pays $149 Million to Resolve VS&G Qui Tam Alleging Kickbacks to Promote Risperdal

On November 4, 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it had finalized an agreement with pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to resolve for $2.2 billion certain criminal and civil claims arising from the company’s alleged illegal marketing of the atypical antipsychotic drug, Risperdal. This settlement resolved a number of qui tam cases…

Whistleblower Lawyer Janet Goldstein Speaks on Litigating Qui Tam Cases at Washington DC Employment Lawyers’ Conference

Vogel Slade & Goldstein partner and whistleblower lawyer Janet Goldstein spoke about litigating qui tam cases under the False Claims Act at a National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) conference entitled Shining the Light on Whistleblower & Retaliation Claims. Drawing upon her 20+ years of practice as a whistleblower lawyer, Ms. Goldstein shared with her audience…

Pfizer pays $491 Million to Resolve Allegations of Off-Label Marketing of Rapamune

The United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on July 30, 2013, unsealed a whistleblower lawsuit against Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc filed in 2007 by the national whistleblower firm Vogel, Slade & Goldstein, LLP, on behalf of Mark Campbell, a former Wyeth sales representative, that alleged that Wyeth for over a decade illegally…

Gallup pays $10.5M to settle qui tam whistleblower case filed by VSG client

Former Employee’s Qui Tam Lawsuit Leads to Taxpayer Recovery from Market-Research Company that Billed Itself “The Most Trusted Name in Polling.” Washington, D.C. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced today that it has reached a settlement with the Gallup Organization over charges that Gallup had violated the False Claims Act and the Procurement Integrity…

Shelley R. Slade Testifies on Qui Tam Law & Procedures before the U.S. Congress

On May 7, 2013, Shelley R. Slade testified at a congressional hearing concerning the law and procedures pertaining to U.S. Department of Justice decisions on whether to intervene in False Claims Act qui tam cases.  Ms. Slade was invited to testify by subcommittees of the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Government Oversight…

VSG Whistleblower Lawyers in the News 2011-2013

Since the founding of Vogel, Slade & Goldstein, LLP, each of its principals has been sought out by major news outlets, law schools, legal organizations and the US Congress to provide insight and information about qui tam law and lawsuits.  The following are examples of events, organizations and media stories in which they participated: Janet Goldstein spoke on…

Former FEMA Exec Timothy Cannon Pleads to Felony for Corruptly Steering Contracts to Gallup

Charges Arise from Whistleblower Lawsuit by former Gallup Employee Michael Lindley Former FEMA executive Timothy Cannon pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington, D.C. to a felony conflict of interest charge for steering a FEMA contract and funding to Gallup while he was negotiating a partnership position with the worldwide polling firm. Cannon faces a…

Former FEMA Director Will Plead to Felony for Corruptly Steering Contracts to Gallup, Reports NBC News

Charges Arise from Whistleblower Lawsuit by former Gallup Employee Michael Lindley The attorney for Timothy Cannon says that the former FEMA executive will plead guilty to a felony conflict of interest charge for steering a FEMA contract and funding to Gallup while he was negotiating a partnership position with the worldwide polling firm, NBC News…

Justice Department Sues Gallup for Defrauding Three Federal Agencies

Washington, D.C. In a 57-page civil complaint filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) accuses The Gallup Organization of bilking the State Department and U.S. Mint out of millions of dollars by falsifying labor-hour estimates on government contract work between 2007 and 2009. DOJ’s complaint also accuses Gallup of…

VS&G Qui Tam Lawyers Receive Top Rankings in Study of False Claims Act Whistleblower Lawsuits

Rankings Based on Study of 4000+ False Claims Act Lawsuits Brought by Qui Tam Lawyers on Behalf of Whistleblowers Vogel, Slade & Goldstein has received top rankings among the nation’s 25 most active qui tam law firms representing whistleblowers in False Claims Act lawsuits, according to a first-of-its kind study by Stanford University law professor…

Qui Tam Whistleblower Michael Lindley Alleges Gallup Defrauded U.S. Government

Qui Tam Whistleblower Lawsuit Against Gallup Organization Joined by U.S. Government Washington, D.C.  The U.S. Department of Justice has joined a whistleblower qui tam lawsuit charging the Gallup Organization with perpetrating a multi-million dollar fraud in its contracts with the Department of the Treasury and the Department of State. The lawsuit is captioned U.S. ex…

Johnson & Johnson Reserves Funds for Settlement

In a June 8, 2012 press release, Johnson & Johnson stated it is taking a $600 million charge for settlement of cases involving J&J kickbacks to long term care pharmacy chain Omnicare to increase sales of Risperdal and two other drugs. VS&G represents the whistleblower in one of the two qui tam cases against J&J…

Rob Vogel of Vogel, Slade & Goldstein Comments on SEC Proposed Rule

In December 2010, Rob Vogel of Vogel, Slade & Goldstein was part of a group that submitted a Comment on the SEC’s Proposed Rule for Implementing the Whistleblower Provisions of Section 21F of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (amended under Title IX of the Dodd-Frank bill). Under the new Whistleblower Provisions, a person who…

Armor Group North America and its Affiliates Pay $7.5 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WWW.JUSTICE.GOV WASHINGTON – Armor Group North America Inc. (AGNA) and its affiliates have paid the United States $7.5 million to resolve allegations that AGNA submitted false claims for payment on a State Department contract to provide armed guard services at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, the Justice Department announced today. The…

Bringing its False Claims Act Settlements in VS&G Lawsuits to a Total of $197.5 million, Omnicare Pays $21 million to Settle Allegations of Medicaid Fraud in Massachusetts and Michigan in Whistleblower Action

Whistleblower law firm Vogel, Slade & Goldstein, LLP announced today that, Omnicare, Inc., the nation’s leading provider of medications for nursing home residents, has paid $21,050,000.00 to settle allegations brought by a whistleblower that it defrauded the Medicaid programs of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of Michigan by knowingly charging more for drugs…

Ivax Pharmaceuticals to Pay $14 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Lawsuit

Ivax Pharmaceuticals enters into a settlement agreement with the United States to resolveFalse Claims Act allegations. Shelley R. Slade, attorney for qui tam plaintiff David Kammerer, comments on the policy concerns and implications of the settlement. Vogel, Slade & Goldstein, LLP announced today that the United States and the law firm’s client, David Kammerer, have…

False Claims Act Amendments Passed By Congress; Qui Tam attorney Shelley Slade Provides Key Testimony Before Congress

The U.S. Congress this evening passed S. 386, the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009 (FERA), legislation containing critically-needed amendments to the civil False Claims Act (FCA), 31 U.S.C. § 3729 et seq. The FCA is a law that provides the United States with a triple damage remedy when false claims and false statements…