Possible Attorneys’ Fees After FCA Settlement Trimmed

Westchester Medical Center might have to pay a whistle-blower about $829,000 in attorneys’ fees in addition to an $18.8 million settlement the hospital paid in 2015 (United States ex rel. Bisk v. Westchester Med. Ctr., 2016 BL 256310, S.D.N.Y., 06-cv-15296, 8/5/16).

The amount of attorneys’ fees paid, if adopted by a judge, would be significantly lower than what the whistle-blower’s attorneys sought.

The hospital’s 2015 settlement resolved allegations that it violated the False Claims Act and anti-kickback statute by paying a cardiology practice for Medicare referrals. The government, which intervened in whistle-blower Dan Bisk’s FCA lawsuit, also ...