Roger Lewis Weighs in on Seventh Circuit’s Recent FCA Ruling Regarding 'Objectively Reasonable' Interpretations and the Supreme Court's Consideration of the Government’s FCA Dismissal Power
Roger Lewis was recently cited in separate Law360 articles regarding the Seventh Circuit’s recent False Claims Act ruling regarding 'objectively reasonable' interpretations and the Supreme Court's consideration of the Department of Justice’s dismissal power in FCA cases.
In “Top Gov't Contract Cases In 2022: Midyear Report,” Roger discussed the Seventh Circuit’s recent ruling that Safeway Inc.’s drug-pricing practices did not give rise to FCA liability even though they deprived the government of discounts offered to other customers. The court ruled that Safeway's interpretation of the governing regulations for drug pricing was “objectively reasonable,” and thus not actionable under the FCA.
Roger commented on how the Seventh Circuit’s ruling could allow corporate defendants to escape liability simply by coming up with after-the-fact interpretations, even incorrect interpretations, that they did not actually hold at the time of their conduct. He noted that the Safeway ruling, if it stands, could mean that a defendant's actual intent to defraud the government is irrelevant in certain FCA cases.
The full article can be read here.
In another article headlined, “Top Gov’t Contracting Cases To Watch in 2nd Half of 2022,” Roger provided insights on the U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming review of a case where the DOJ moved to dismiss an FCA case without intervening or explanation.
Roger specifically stated that the Polansky case serves as an opportunity for the Supreme Court to put an end to a troubling trend in some lower courts allowing the government to dismiss a relator's FCA case without intervening or providing any reason for dismissal. Roger elaborated that forcing the government to seek intervention and to provide a rationale for dismissal is “not an intrusion into the government's control of the case."
The full story can be read here.
Roger Lewis is a principal in the firm’s Litigation Group. His practice focuses on the federal and state FCAs and complex commercial litigation in the state and federal courts and administrative agencies. Goldberg Kohn's FCA practice has returned almost a billion dollars to state and federal treasuries. In addition to FC A matters, Roger's cases have involved lending and financial institution litigation, consumer and property tax litigation, and partnership and shareholder issues.
Since its founding in 1976, Goldberg Kohn has become one of the nation's most respected midsize law firms. From its Chicago base, the firm advises large and small clients nationwide, focusing on litigation and transactional matters in a wide range of contexts and industries, including the banking and financial services, construction, education, hospitality, media and advertising, pharmaceutical, and telecommunications sectors.
