On July 25, 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland awarded default judgments amounting to $26,341,951 against Patrick Britton-Harr and his laboratory companies for alleged violations of the False Claims Act. These judgments were rendered after Britton-Harr and his companies did not contest the allegations made by the United States.
The complaint, filed on July 18, 2023, detailed accusations against Britton-Harr, asserting that his companies, including Provista Health, LLC, attempted to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic. It was claimed that the companies offered COVID-19 tests to nursing homes, subsequently billing Medicare for extensive respiratory pathogen panel (RPP) tests. The DOJ alleged these tests were unnecessary, as the beneficiaries showed no symptoms of respiratory illnesses and the tests targeted rare pathogens.
Moreover, it was alleged that some RPP tests billed to Medicare were neither ordered by physicians nor conducted. In several instances, claims allegedly were submitted for tests collected from beneficiaries after their deaths.
In conjunction with the complaint, the DOJ sought prejudgment remedies under the Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act on July 18, 2023. This included actions to attach and garnish Britton-Harr’s financial assets to secure funds for the judgment. Despite a court order restricting him from selling his house in Annapolis without approval, Britton-Harr reportedly sold the property on September 23, 2023, for $575,000 and spent the proceeds. Consequently, the court held Britton-Harr in civil contempt on March 4 and directed him to deposit the $575,000 into the court’s registry.
If you or your business are facing allegations under the False Claims Act or other regulatory scrutiny, securing knowledgeable legal counsel is essential. Such cases can be complex and have significant ramifications. The attorneys at Chilivis Grubman represent clients of all types and sizes in connection with white-collar criminal investigations and healthcare fraud investigations. If you are currently under investigation or involved in litigation of this nature, our experts can help. Please contact us today.