Novartis Must Face Whistleblower’s False Claims Retaliation Suit

A whistleblower adequately alleged that Novartis Pharmaceutical Corp. fired him for calling attention to an alleged drug kickback scheme, in violation of the False Claims Act, a New Jersey federal court said Thursday.

Former Novartis account director Joseph Perri raised a valid FCA retaliation claim by asserting that he lost his job, despite receiving excellent performance reviews, because he complained about the scheme to his supervisor, Judge Kevin McNulty of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey said.

That Perri’s severance package was accompanied by a demand that he waive any whistleblower claim is also suggestive, though ...