Second Circuit Clarifies Scope of “Property” that an FCA “Claim” May Seek
Earlier this month, the Second Circuit issued a notable decision on a rare FCA topic—whether a request to the government seeks “property,” such that the request falls within the FCA’s definition of a “claim.” The Second Circuit determined that a request inducing the federal government to issue fishing endorsements permitting collection of wild fish did not constitute an FCA “claim” because wild fish are not “property.”
Strictly Enforcing Rule 9(b), Second Circuit Affirms Dismissal of FCA Claim Based on Allegedly Defective Medical Devices
The Second Circuit affirmed dismissal of an FCA qui tam based on allegedly faulty medical devices, an area marked for particular FCA scrutiny by the DOJ-HHS FCA Working Group, as discussed here. The Second Circuit held the relator failed to plead either a claim or materiality with the requisite specificity and affirmed the dismissal pursuant to Rule 9(b). Wood v. Siemens Med. Sols. USA, Inc., No. 25-864, 2026 WL 504530 (2d Cir. Feb. 24, 2026).
Second Circuit Upholds District Court Ruling that FCA and AKS Scienter Is Not Present Where Defendant Previously Received Favorable HHS-OIG Advisory Opinions
This week, the Second Circuit upheld a dismissal from the Southern District of New York holding that a defendant did not fulfill the False Claims Act (“FCA”) or Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”) scienter requirements where the defendant sought and received favorable advisory opinions from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”). See United States ex rel. Stephen Sisselman v. Zocdoc, Inc., No. 24-2807 (2d Cir. Apr. 14, 2025).
