Amgen Whistleblower’s Attorney Wins Fee Priority Dispute With US

An attorney who represented a whistleblower in a 15-year False Claims Act suit against Amgen Inc. and others has a priority claim over a share of funds obtained in a partial settlement, not the US government that won a tax case against the whistleblower.

Attorney Rob Hennig represented Don Hanks, who accused defendants of improperly billing Medicare and Medicaid for certain drugs. The FCA claim against Amgen was settled in 2012, which resulted in a $220,411 share for Hanks. In 2013, the government obtained a $249,535 judgment against Hanks in a tax case.

The government wanted to offset Hanks’ FCA ...