Although it attracted little fanfare when it was passed 25 years ago, the False Claims Act has proven to be a successful weapon in fighting fraud against the government.
The Dept. of Justice will host an event featuring key players in the law’s passage, including Senators Charles Grassley and Patrick Leahy and Rep. Howard Berman, as well as attorney John R. Phillips, a founding partner of Phillips & Cohen.
“The False Claims Act is a unique statute that has become the go-to law to stop corporations and others from cheating Medicare and other government programs,” said attorney Phillips, who worked closely with Congress to secure passage of the amended False Claims Act in 1986.
The passage of the law is also notable as an instance of bipartisan cooperation. As Eric R. Havian, a San Francisco attorney with Phillips & Cohen, noted, “Stopping fraud shouldn’t be a partisan issue.”