Cincinnati law firm Helmer Martins announces publication of the 2015 Cumulative Supplement to James B. Helmer, Jr.’s, treatise: False Claims Act: Whistleblower Litigation. This treatise, now in its Sixth Edition, is published by Bloomberg BNA.

The 2015 Cumulative Supplement includes discussion of cutting edge topics pertinent to all attorneys, scholars, and business leaders who wish to stay current in the fast-paced field of False Claims Act litigation, including discussion of:

  • The largest non-intervened qui tam action settlement ever, against dialysis provider DaVita.
  • The latest United States Supreme Court decision on the False Claims Act in Kellogg Root & Brown Services, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Carter.
  • Types of “obligations” required to allege a reverse false claim.
  • The latest federal appellate courts to adopt implied certification.
  • False Claims Act liability for violating FDA regulations.
  • A new state False Claims Act in Vermont and an amended state False Claims Act in Maryland, along with several decisions addressing other state False Claims Acts.
  • Procedures to be followed when the government seeks to dismiss a False Claims Act case against the wishes of the relator.
  • The Department of Defense’s new Acquisition Regulation prohibiting Defense Department contractors from enacting policies or agreements prohibiting their employees and contractors from alerting government officials to possible fraud.

Both the Sixth Edition of False Claims Act: Whistleblower Litigation and the new 2015 supplement are available for purchase from Bloomberg BNA.

Mr. Helmer is Senior Partner and President of the Cincinnati office of Helmer, Martins, Rice & Popham. See his profile for more information. Approximately two thirds of his practice, which is exclusively devoted to litigation, involves the representation of employees blowing the whistle on fraudulent Government contractors. Mr. Helmer has obtained several multi-million dollar jury verdicts and has been trial counsel in over 300 published legal decisions. His False Claims Act cases have returned over $1 Billion to the taxpayers and have resulted in 15 criminal indictments. Mr. Helmer is also the co-author of Representing the Terminated Employee in Ohio (2d ed. Anderson 1997).

In 1985 and 1986, Mr. Helmer’s testimony before the House of Representatives and the United States Senate was pivotal in the 1986 Amendments to the False Claims Act. Congress and President Reagan accepted all of the suggestions Mr. Helmer made for modernizing the statute which has become known as the government’s primary weapon against fraud on the taxpayers. In 2008, he argued Allison Engine Co. v. United States ex re. Sanders before the United States Supreme Court against former Solicitor General Theodore Olson. The Supreme Court ruled by a 9-0 decision in favor of Helmer’s client but then interpreted the False Claims Act in a restrictive manner. As a result, Mr. Helmer returned to testify before two Congressional Committees in 2008 concerning the clarification of the False Claims Act. Congress overwhelmingly passed the Amendments championed by Mr. Helmer and President Obama signed them into law on May 20, 2009 – Mr. Helmer’s birthday.

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