Thrower v. Academy Mortg. Corp., 172 F.4th 703 (9th Cir. 2026)
Gwen Thrower was awarded attorneys’ fees, expenses, and costs in her False Claims Act action against Academy Mortgage, her former employer. After the district court approved the settlement in the amount of $38.5 million (including $11.5 million to Thrower personally), it awarded Thrower $8.6 million in attorneys’ fees and $90,000 in
Mooney v. Fife, 118 F.4th 1081 (9th Cir. 2024)
Thomas Mooney was the chief operating officer of Vivida Dermatology before his employment was terminated for an alleged violation of a confidentiality provision in his employment agreement. Following his termination, Mooney sued his former employer for retaliation under the False Claims Act (FCA), breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good
Kellogg Brown & Root Servs., Inc. v. United States ex rel. Carter, 575 U.S. ___, 135 S. Ct. 1970 (2015)
Petitioners were employed by defense contractors that provided logistical services to the United States military during the armed conflict in Iraq. They filed a qui tam complaint against various defense contractors, alleging the contractors had fraudulently billed the government for water purification services that
On January 30, 2014, the California Court of Appeal for the Fifth Appellate District ruled that California State courts have concurrent jurisdiction over retaliation claims under the federal False Claims Act (FCA) in Driscoll v. Superior Court (Spencer). The following addresses the basis for that ruling and its implications.
Background
Radiologist Scott Driscoll worked for physician Todd Spencer and his medical practice, the Todd
Cordero-Sacks v. Housing Authority of Los Angeles, 200 Cal. App. 4th 1267 (2011)
Ada Cordero-Sacks was terminated from her position as an attorney in the Los Angeles Housing Authority’s Office of Internal Control following her investigation of alleged internal misconduct and fraud within the Authority. Cordero-Sacks’s claim for retaliatory discharge under the California False Claims Act (the “FCA”) was tried to a jury, which
Schindler Elevator Corp. v. United States ex rel. Kirk, 563 U.S. ___, 131 S. Ct. 1885 (2011)
Daniel Kirk, a former employee of Schindler Elevator Corporation, filed this lawsuit under the False Claims Act (“FCA”), alleging Schindler had submitted false or fraudulent claims for payment to the United States. Kirk alleged the company had falsely certified its compliance with the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment
Mendiondo v. Centinela Hosp. Med. Ctr., 521 F.3d 1097 (9th Cir. 2008)
Marie Bernadette Mendiondo, who worked as a nurse at the medical center, alleged she was terminated in retaliation for her complaints regarding allegedly false billing and reimbursement practices and substandard patient care in violation of the Federal and California False Claims Acts. Although the district court dismissed her claims, the Ninth Circuit