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Pete Vaira's "2017 Wish List for Lawyers and Judges"
Hopefully, the suggestions in my recent Business Crimes Bulletin article on the DOJ's misuse of “speaking indictments" gather some momentum, as former E.D. Pa. U.S. Attorney Pete Vaira cited it in his January 17, 2017 article in Philadelphia's The Legal Intelligencer.
Government Contests Assertion of Attorney-Client Privilege in Assessing Cooperation
However else one characterizes 2016, it was a very good year for the government's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) profit center. Twenty-seven companies paid about $2.48 billion to resolve FCPA cases, a record. Although the incoming Administration may shift priorities, there exists considerable institutional momentum behind continued FCPA enforcement. In that light, it's worth taking a look back at one of the last FCPA cases of 2016.
Pennsylvania's Medical Marijuana Law, Health Care Providers, and Enforcement
With other members of our Firm's Regulated Cannabis Group, I recently co-authored an article for the Life Sciences, Pharmaceuticals, and Health Care Supplement of The Legal Intelligencer. We examined Pennsylvania's April 2016 medical marijuana law from four essential legal standpoints - professional liability, health care law, employment law, and enforcement - and the related implications for health care providers in the state.
FCC Commissioner Seeks Investigation of Wi-Fi Hotspot Limitations at Presidential Debate
At Monday's presidential debate, host Hofstra University ruffled feathers by reportedly moving to prevent journalists, attempting to file stories from the scene, from relying on their own wireless hotspots to get online. The move was seen by some as an effort to force reporters to use the venue's wireless service, said to cost $200, and caught the attention of the FCC. If correct, these factors may distinguish the Hofstra scenario from prior FCC enforcement actions, sufficiently to avoid an enforcement proceeding.
The Lambis Case and the Future of 'Stingray' Evidence
I recently examined for Law360 a federal court decision in U.S. v. Lambis that marked the first time a federal judge has suppressed evidence secured from a cell-site simulator, or "Stingray" device. These devices mimic cell towers for surveillance purposes and can locate a cell phone. The case and decision are part of the larger story of mounting attempts to constrain law enforcement's use of Stingrays and similar devices, the use of which remained largely unknown by the public as recently as 2011.
Record $5.5 Million HIPAA Data Security Settlement: Lessons Learned
On August 4, 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced that Advocate Health Care Network, Illinois' largest hospital chain, agreed to pay $5.5 million to resolve multiple alleged violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This settlement is the largest HIPAA-related settlement in OCR history, and comprises more than a quarter of the nearly $20 million that the government has collected in HIPAA-related enforcement actions in 2016 alone.
DOJ's New FCPA Enforcement Plan and Crafting Due Diligence Programs
The June 2016 issue of Business Crimes Bulletin includes Part II of our examination of recent Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement efforts related to the use of third-party intermediaries. Part II takes a detailed look at DOJ's April 2016 FCPA enforcement plan, which added ten prosecutors to DOJ's FCPA unit and initiated a pilot program through which companies may be able to avoid prosecution or achieve lower fines via voluntary disclosure to and cooperation with DOJ. The article also suggests seven keys to an effective FCPA due diligence system.
Third-Party Intermediaries Present Increased FCPA Exposure for Companies Doing Business Abroad
Mehreen Zaman of our Internal Investigations & White Collar Defense Group recently had published in the Business Crimes Bulletin the first of two articles examining recent Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement efforts as related to third-party intermediaries.
Intent as an Essential Element When Prosecuting Environmental Crimes
My partner Michael C. Gross from our Environmental Group recently authored a short response piece to accompany the article, "Time for Environmental Crimes,†by Rena Steinzor in the March/April issue of The Environmental Forum, the magazine of the nonpartisan Environmental Law Institute.
Plan Ahead, Stay On Top of Government and Tech Changes, and Be Ready to Call the FBI: Key Lessons from the PHI Protection Network Conference
Late last week, the health care data security community gathered in Philadelphia for the PHI Protection Network Conference. The diverse group of speakers included in-house data security officers, technology consultants, academics, attorneys, and a variety of influential federal government representatives. I was in the audience. A handful of key themes were reiterated in various ways throughout the two-day gathering.
The Government Pushes The False Claims Act Envelope; Government Contractors Push Back
In recent weeks, corporations have pushed back against Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Health and Human Service (HHS) efforts to expand False Claims Act (FCA) remedies to conduct beyond the FCA's explicit reach. Yet a huge incentive exists for DOJ to push the FCA envelope: DOJ's recently released 2015 Civil Division fraud recoveries - totaling over $3.5 billion - establish a six-year trend of recoveries in excess of $3 billion annually.
Two Points and a Lesson from PrivacyCon, FTC's Digital-Privacy Conference
Last week, on January 14, 2016, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) convened PrivacyCon, a first-of-its kind conference bringing together policymakers, academics, and technology researchers to discuss the challenges surrounding online privacy as we navigate between a fixed-internet world, a mobile one, and the growing “internet of things.†I was in the audience, and I came away with two major points and a lesson for white collar defense lawyers and their clients.