Florida AG Bondi Stands Against Bill that Would Gut False Claims Case Against Quest and LabCorp

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi was not happy.

Pam Bondi

Pam Bondi

Bondi’s office had sued Laboratory Corporation of America and Quest, claiming the companies had defrauded Florida’s Medicaid program to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.

Other states had brought similar litigation against the companies and recovered hundreds of millions of dollars.

But a Florida health committee was holding a hearing on legislation that would have dismantled Bondi’s case.

J. Michael Huey, a partner at Gray Robinson in Tallahassee and a LabCorp lobbyist, was in the room when Bondi testified against the legislation he was pushing.

“As your chief legal officer, I have active litigation pending involving massive healthcare fraud,” Bondi told the legislators. “This isn’t a broad policy. You would be legislating one case pending in Florida currently (against LabCorp and Quest.) And Mr. Huey, who I respect, is here representing LabCorp. And this is his legislation.”

“If this bill passes your committee, you will be an unwitting facilitator to potentially costing our taxpayers millions of dollars — millions. California, Nevada and other states have already settled for hundreds of millions of dollars. This is big — these two companies for defrauding their taxpayers. We are alleging tens of millions of dollars here in Florida. You all know we are a bellwether state. And I’m telling you right now that the eyes of the entire country are on us. LabCorp and Quest they know other states are looking at them. This is very active litigation. The proper forum for this to be heard — in my five years I have never seen anything like this about to happen. The proper forum for this to be heard is in sworn court testimony.”

Bondi called the legislation “an end run desperate attempt in potentially a multi-million dollar case that impacts Florida and other states around the country.”

“I am confident this is being done to kill our active litigation,” Bondi said. “It is highly inappropriate to be handled in the middle of litigation that affects all of our constituents and our taxpayers as well. By passing this bill you will be giving these companies an open checkbook to raid our Medicaid program.”

“It needs to die right here right now,” Bondi said.

After hearing Bondi’s testimony, the House committee she was testifying before delayed consideration of the bill.

 

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