The Supreme Court has declined to settle conflict between two federal court decisions on whether former employees are covered by whistleblower anti-retaliation protections contained in the False Claims Act (FCA).
The decision Monday comes in response to a petition regarding a March 2021 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on the case of David Felten. Felten, a neurologist, filed a qui tam lawsuit in 2010 against his former employer, Michigan-based William Beaumont Hospital, for allegedly paying kickbacks for referrals. The hospital eventually settled the lawsuit in 2018 by agreeing to pay $84.5 million.
