Washington, DC, December 12, 2022 – Whistleblower law firm Phillips and Cohen LLP is pleased to announce that Owen C.J. Foster, a former Assistant US Attorney for the District of Vermont, joins the firm as Of Counsel. Foster brings more than a decade of experience leading healthcare and government contracting fraud matters, including litigating record-breaking cases on behalf of the United States.
“Owen Foster brings a wealth of experience to Phillips and Cohen,” said Colette Matzzie, partner and whistleblower attorney at Phillips and Cohen. “As a former Assistant US Attorney for the District of Vermont, Owen was a tireless advocate for the taxpayer, fighting against fraud against the government.”
“Owen played an integral role in combating fraud by electronic health records (EHR) and pharmaceutical companies, securing hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements on behalf of taxpayers,” said Matzzie. “We know Owen will bring his expertise and passion to advocate on behalf of whistleblowers, and his creativity to bring innovative cases forward.”
“Phillips and Cohen has an international reputation as the top whistleblower law firm,” said Owen Foster. “I am looking forward to joining the esteemed group of lawyers working on behalf of whistleblowers.”
Foster’s successful cases include criminal and civil investigations against Purdue Pharma, which resulted in the largest healthcare fraud recovery in history, including a criminal fine of over $3.5 billion, forfeiture of an additional $2 billion, and a civil resolution of $2.8 billion for False Claims Act violations.
Foster also has extensive experience leading investigations against electronic health records companies, an area of expertise Phillips and Cohen has with four settlements since the firm’s ground-breaking, first-of-its-kind settlement in 2017 against an EHR company, eClinicalWorks. As an Assistant US Attorney for the Department of Justice in Vermont, Foster led the team investigating and negotiating the $155 million eClinincalWorks settlement and helped secure critical provisions providing for improved software quality and oversight at the company. For his efforts in this and other successful matters, he received several commendations from the United States Department of Justice including, twice, the Director’s Award for Superior Performance, and the Civil Division’s Perseverance Award. He also was part of the team of government lawyers who, in 2017, received the Taxpayers Against Fraud’s Public-Private Partnership Award.
At DOJ, Foster also led successful investigations and settlements against Practice Fusion ($145 million), Greenway Health, Inc. ($57.25 million), and Modernizing Medicine ($45 million) for kickback and False Claims Act violations. Foster also led the civil and criminal investigations against Schneider Electric, securing an $11 million settlement for defrauding numerous federal agencies in connection with energy savings performance contracts.
Before joining the Justice Department, Mr. Foster had a successful career as a securities and cybersecurity associate at Dechert, LLP, where he defended a mutual fund against billions of dollars of claims arising out of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. Foster additionally defended the former CEO of Barclays Bank in connection with investigations into fundraising activities during the financial crash of 2008, and co-founded the firm’s cybersecurity practice.
Recognized with the “Rising Star Award” from the National Law Journal, Foster was named as one of the top 40 lawyers under 40 in Boston. He graduated from Columbia University School of Law and the University of Vermont. Foster is admitted to the bar in Massachusetts.