DOJ Settlement Resolves Allegations of Individual Liability
On October 4, 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced a settlement in which the Retina Institute of California Medical Group, its former CEO, and several of its physicians paid the United States and California approximately $6.65 Million to settle False Claims Act allegations. The settlement serves as yet another reminder of the Department of Justice’s increased focus on individual liability and refusal to allow the resolution of allegations against a corporation to provide protection to individuals accused of engaging in wrongdoing. These principles – memorialized in the September 2015 Yates Memo – have resulted in a significant uptick in the number of cases brought against corporate executives and settlements involving the resolution of individual liability.
