Texas-Sized Fraud: Corporate Relator Takes on Laboratory Referral Kickback Scheme

17 October 2024. In a qui tam whistleblower settlement, Jeffrey Madison, the former CEO of Little River Healthcare in Rockdale, Texas, has agreed to pay over $5.3 million to resolve alleged…

How to Develop an Effective Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan for Businesses

Data breaches have become more frequent and costly than ever. In 2021, the average data breach cost companies more than $4 million. Threat actors are increasingly likely to be sophisticated.…

The Murky Waters of Wash Trading Digital Assets – DOJ Charges 18 Individuals and Entities

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts recently unsealed what it described as the “first-ever criminal charges against financial services firms for market manipulation and ‘wash trading’ in the cryptocurrency…

TCPA Rules on Revoking Consent for Unwanted Robocalls and Robotexts Effective April 2025

On October 11, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission announced that the effective date for Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) rules on revoking consent for unwanted robocalls and robotexts is set for April…

IRS Issues FAQs Regarding Long-Term Part-Time Employees in 403(b) Plans

The IRS recently issued Notice 2024-73, which provides much-needed guidance on long-term, part-time (“LTPT”) employees in ERISA-governed 403(b) retirement plans. Following passage of the SECURE 2.0 Act, an employee is…

Common Mistakes When Applying for the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, commonly referred to as the green card lottery, was established by the U.S. government to provide individuals from countries with low immigration rates a chance to…

Department of Defense Issues Final CMMC Rule

On October 11, 2024, the Department of Defense (“DoD”) issued the first part of its final rule establishing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”) program. As expected, the final rule…

The Evolution of AI in Healthcare: Current Trends and Legal Considerations

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the healthcare landscape, offering innovative solutions to age-old challenges. From diagnostics to enhanced patient care, AI’s influence is pervasive, and seems destined to reshape how…

USCIS Issues Updated Guidance on ‘Sought to Acquire’ Requirement of Child Status Protection Act

On Sept. 25, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated its Policy Manual to clarify the calculation of the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) age for noncitizens seeking CSPA…

Is It the End of the False Claims Act As We Know It? District Court Rules Qui Tam Provisions Unconstitutional

In a first-of-its-kind ruling on 30 September 2024, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida held in United States ex rel. Zafirov v.…