According to an Elder Fraud Report by the FBI, seniors were defrauded out of over $1 billion dollars in 2020. Elder fraud is becoming increasingly common. According to the FBI’s report, the number of seniors (people over age 60) who report fraud has doubled in the past five years. And the amount of money that … Read more
On July 26, 2021, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and John Kennedy (R-La.) proposed key amendments to the False Claims Act. Their bill would force fraudsters to show by “clear and convincing evidence” that their actions were not “material” to the government’s decision to pay them. Additionally, … Read more
A recent Harvard Business School Study analyzed thousands of cases brought under the False Claims Act, and found that increasing the financial rewards for whistleblowers results in higher quality cases being filed. The study undercuts the view of critics who assume that increased incentives lead to more meritless suits. The False Claims Act penalizes people … Read more
A Jersey City pharmacy and its owner have paid $62,500 to settle allegations that they violated the New Jersey False Claims Act by submitting false Medicaid claims, in a case litigated by Kennedy Vuernick. The civil settlement agreement resolves allegations that UMR Pharmacy and Surgical, Inc., (“UMR”) and its owner Mohammad Ziauddin (“Ziauddin”), submitted false … Read more
The Appellate Division has upheld a judgment of approximately $1.6 million that Kennedy Vuernick obtained against the operator of an acupuncture clinic. Kennedy Vuernick represented Allstate Insurance Company, which sued under the Insurance Fraud Prevention Act. The suit alleged that the acupuncture clinic was unlawfully owned by an unlicensed individual, and operated by a licensed … Read more
The Appellate Division has upheld a $718,000 settlement obtained by Kennedy Vuernick against the owner of ambulatory care facilities over charges that he bilked the state’s charity care fund. Kennedy Vuernick represented the two whistleblowers, Allstate Insurance Company and Medical Investigation Group, Inc. The False Claims Act suit alleged that the clinic owner had underreported … Read more
Richard Vuernick and John Kennedy have each been invited to speak at New Jersey’s premier anti-fraud conference in Atlantic City in October. Mr. Vuernick will join a panel discussion at the Insurance Fraud Summit. The summit is an annual event hosted by the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor and the Bureau of Fraud Deterrence … Read more
Recently, State Senator Joseph A. Lagana introduced a bill to correct a gaping hole in New Jersey’s anti-fraud laws: the bill would allow self-insured entities to sue under the Insurance Fraud Prevention Act when they are victimized by insurance fraud. As long-standing leaders in the fight against insurance fraud, Kennedy Vuernick fully supports this measure … Read more
