Morgan & Morgan Helps Whistleblower Recover $376,452 Reward in Adventist False Claims Case
Orlando, FL (PRWEB) February 19, 2016 -- A nurse who filed a False Claims Act lawsuit against Adventist Health System will receive a reward of almost $400,000 in connection with the case’s resolution today. Her allegations claimed that the Florida-based hospital administered certain patients the leftover portions of chemotherapy drugs contained in single-dose vials. Portions from the vials were allegedly used on previous patients and could have been exposed to harmful agents. She also alleged that the hospital upcoded IV and infusion therapy related to the administration of other drugs, and that they maintained unsafe workplace conditions regarding those drugs.
Today’s announcement by the Department of Justice marks the end of a two-and-a-half -year government investigation.
As part of the settlement, Adventist/Florida Hospital will pay $2,091,399.99 to resolve the allegations that whistleblower Heather Huddleston made in a qui tam lawsuit filed in February, 2013. Huddleston was previously employed as a nurse at the Adventist centers. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida by the Morgan & Morgan Complex Litigation Group.
Whistleblower attorney John Yanchunis, a partner at the Morgan & Morgan Complex Litigation Group who represented Ms. Huddleston, said, “We deeply appreciate the outstanding efforts of the attorneys and investigators in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida, as well as the Department of Justice attorneys in Washington, D.C., who worked on this case and achieved this resolution. The case could not have been filed without the perseverance of the firm’s client, Heather Huddleston, who, while employed by Adventist, repeatedly complained to management of the hospital to stop the practices which were at the center of her lawsuit.”
Whistleblower attorney James Young, also a partner with the Morgan & Morgan Complex Litigation Group, added, “Our client is a remarkably courageous healthcare professional. It takes real courage and conviction to speak truth to power and that is exactly what she did. As a firm, we couldn’t be more proud to have represented her.”
For more information, and to read the case’s complaint and settlement agreement, access the firm’s website at http://www.whistleblowerattorneys.com or call 813-223-5505.
Case Information: United States ex rel. Huddleston v. Adventist Health System Sunbelt Healthcare Corporation, Case No. 8:13-cv-710-T-27-EAJ (M.D. Fla.).
About the Morgan & Morgan Whistleblower Attorneys:
The Morgan & Morgan Whistleblower Attorneys are part of the firm's Complex Litigation Group. Morgan & Morgan is one of the nation's leading plaintiffs' law firms and has serviced over 75,000 clients over the past 25 years.
Dov Slansky, Morgan & Morgan, PA, http://www.forthepeople.com, +1 (877) 667-4265, [email protected]
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