November 06, 2007
Stars Behavioral Health Group will pay $1 million for allegedly charging Medi-Cal for treatment at a San Leandro clinic on days when the youths were home with their families.
The suit originated as a whistleblower suit filed under the qui tam provisions of the federal and California False Claims Acts. The whistleblower, Joseph Krzesni, will receive $200,000. He was represented by the law firm of Phillips & Cohen LLP.
Stars, headquartered in Oakland, provides mental health services for youths referred by the juvenile court system in criminal cases and by family courts in cases of abuse and neglect. The settlement was reported in the November 6, 2007 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle.