SHORT HILLS, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Stone & Magnanini LLP today announced a three billion dollar settlement of false marketing and fraud claims alongside the U.S. Department of Justice against GlaxoSmithKline LLC (“GSK”), which is the largest settlement of a pharmaceutical False Claims Act case in U.S. history. Leading commercial litigation firm Stone & Magnanini represented one of several whistleblowers, former GSK sales representative and licensed pharmacist Michael LaFauci, in alleging that GSK committed fraud against federal and state healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, by paying kickbacks and illegally marketing several brand name prescription drugs for improper and dangerous off-label uses, putting profits over patients.
“We are pleased that the Government continues to pursue drug companies which commit fraud on federal and state governments by illegally marketing popular prescription drugs for off-label uses that are potentially harmful for patients,” said David Stone, Managing Partner of Stone & Magnanini who has litigated False Claims Act cases that have led to some of the largest recoveries in history. “We are proud to have represented Mr. LaFauci throughout the government’s investigation of GSK to protect patients and American taxpayers.”
Widely recognized as leading whistleblower attorneys, Stone & Magnanini Managing Partners David Stone and Robert Magnanini led a team representing LaFauci in his role as “relator” in the case, and filed one of several actions against GSK under the False Claims Act for illegally marketing drugs including Advair, which is used to treat asthma and COPD sufferers. Stone & Magnanini lawyers worked with other private FCA and government lawyers led by Assistant United States Attorney Sara Bloom and Andy Mao of the Department of Justice to conclude the largest settlement of a pharmaceutical False Claims Act case ever.
Stone & Magnanini specializes in False Claims Act qui tam actions, with an emphasis in the pharmaceutical fraud area. Its attorneys have assisted the federal and state governments in recovering over a billion dollars from healthcare companies, including Forrest Laboratories, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cephalon, and Medco. Stone, who previously served as the head of the False Claims Act department at Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, has over twenty years experience in prosecuting false claims cases.
“We hope that courageous citizens like the Relators in this action continue to speak out to protect our healthcare system.”
ABOUT STONE & MAGNANINI LLP
Stone & Magnanini LLP is a nationally recognized boutique litigation firm founded by David Stone and Robert Magnanini. Their practice focuses on representing whistleblowers in False Claims Act cases, and other types of complex litigation.