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March 31, 2026
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Citing precedent from the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, a New York federal judge on March 30 granted Allstate’s motion for a preliminary injunction to stay no-fault arbitrations in state court filed by the same medical provider defendants Allstate is suing in federal court over their alleged participation in a no-fault fraud Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act scheme, finding that “the risk of irreparable harm” absent a stay tips “the balance of hardships” in favor of Allstate because the outcome of the state court proceedings “could have a preclusive effect” on the federal court’s “ability to provide relief.”
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March 31, 2026
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A Puerto Rico federal judge dismissed with prejudice a suit filed by an insurer against an insurance adjuster and his firm, which the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority hired to adjust claims related to damage from Hurricane Maria, alleging that the defendants negligently misrepresented property damages. The judge said the case is time-barred by a one-year statute of limitations.
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March 30, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court on March 30 denied a qui tam relator’s petition for writ of certiorari asserting that the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals erred in affirming a lower court order dismissing as lacking in specificity her suit alleging that Quest Diagnostics Inc. violated the False Claims Act (FCA) and similar Georgia law by participating in a fraudulent scheme to order unnecessary laboratory testing that was then billed to government insurers.
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March 27, 2026
PHOENIX — An Arizona federal judge awarded $60,605 in attorney fees to a life insurer in a declaratory judgment suit seeking to void a $750,000 life insurance policy after the insurer paid death benefits to the beneficiary, the deceased insured’s husband, who was later convicted of her murder, finding that the husband had no just defense for failure to respond to the complaint and while the lodestar method to calculate attorney fees was appropriate, the attorney fee request was reduced by the hours of clerical work.
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March 19, 2026
DETROIT — A Michigan appellate court on March 18 reversed and remanded a lower court’s order dismissing a declaratory judgment suit by Progressive Michigan Insurance Co. alleging that it owed no coverage for an accident due to material misrepresentations about the garage locations of the insured vehicle, finding that the lower court abused its discretion when entering a dismissal order after entering a default judgment against certain defendants because the dismissal order prevented State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., the insurer of another vehicle involved in the accident, “from defending its interests as an interested party.”
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March 18, 2026
SAN FRANCISCO — The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on March 17 reversed and remanded a lower court’s dismissal of a health system’s qui tam suit asserting violations of the False Claims Act (FCA) and related state laws by drug manufacturers participating in the Public Health Service Act’s Section 340B Drug Pricing Program, finding that because the health system brought an action pursuant to the FCA, the lack of a private right of action under Section 340B was not material and therefore the health system’s claims were not barred by Section 340B.
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March 17, 2026
SEATTLE — A Washington state appellate court on March 16 dismissed an appeal by an estate administrator for her son’s estate seeking review of a lower court ruling vacating a default judgment against a life insurance company, finding that the administrator failed to establish standing in her initial complaint to seek death benefits under her son’s $150,000 life insurance policy.
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March 16, 2026
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — After denying a similar motion for summary judgment in 2023, an Illinois federal judge again denied a motion for summary judgment by companies that provide physician and nurse practitioner services for residents of long-term care (LTC) facilities in a False Claims Act (FCA) suit filed by the government against them, finding that disputes of fact remain regarding the falsity and scienter elements of the FCA.
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March 13, 2026
By Scott M. Seaman, Pedro E. Hernandez and Peter J. Lewis
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March 13, 2026
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — A New York federal judge dismissed without prejudice civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and RICO conspiracy claims brought by a reinsurer and a managing general agency (MGA) against medical providers and law firms in a workers’ compensation fraud suit, holding that alleged reimbursement and administrative injuries were too remote to establish proximate cause and that the reinsurer and MGA failed to plausibly plead an association-in-fact enterprise or agreement in their first amended complaint.
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March 12, 2026
PHILADELPHIA — The U.S. Department of Justice on March 11 announced that Aetna Inc. has agreed to pay $117,700,000 to settle a relator’s qui tam suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania alleging that Aetna and related entities violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by submitting inaccurate diagnosis codes for Aetna members enrolled in its Medicare Advantage plan to increase payments from Medicare.
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March 12, 2026
DALLAS — Without substantive explanation, a Texas federal judge overruled objections and accepted a report and recommendation to dismiss as untimely a lawsuit involving fraud and bad faith claims in which the pro se plaintiff challenged a roughly two-decade-old termination of long-term disability (LTD) benefits and alleged that a cousin fraudulently used her identity to file a successful disability claim.
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March 11, 2026
NEW YORK — The Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on March 10 vacated and remanded a lower court ruling granting GEICO summary judgment on its declaratory judgment, common-law fraud and violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) claims against acupuncture practices and related individuals (collectively, acupuncturists), resulting in a $6,616,142.68 damages award for GEICO, finding that the ruling was based on an inaccurate determination that a health care provider that “improperly buys patient referrals” cannot receive no-fault reimbursements.
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March 11, 2026
MACON, Ga. — A Georgia federal judge granted partial summary judgment to Travelers Personal Insurance Co. in a homeowner’s breach of contract and bad faith suit against the insurer for its purported failure to compensate the homeowner for a fire-related loss, finding that the insurer had reasonable grounds to deny the claim and, therefore, the bad faith claim fails.
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March 10, 2026
NEW YORK — The Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued a mandate denying a motion to stay and related petition for a writ of mandamus challenging lower court proceedings in which a judge denied recusal in qui tam suits alleging that the lab and related parties violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by submitting false claims to government insurers for reimbursement for COVID-19 testing services.
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March 10, 2026
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — After the parties filed a statement indicating they have stipulated to dismissal, a New York federal judge dismissed with prejudice claims against an orthopedic practice and related parties in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) suit accusing them of filing fraudulent claims for payment for people allegedly involved in auto accidents and covered under GEICO no-fault or personal injury protection (PIP) policies.
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March 10, 2026
WILMINGTON, Del. — A Delaware judge denied an insured’s motion for summary judgment as to the insurers’ affirmative defenses of reasonableness, fraud, collusion and bad faith in its lawsuit seeking professional liability coverage for an underlying Medicaid fraud investigation, holding that genuine disputes of material fact preclude summary judgment in this coverage dispute that was sparked by an investigation by the state of Texas that began almost 14 years ago.
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March 09, 2026
NEW ORLEANS — The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on March 6 affirmed a lower court’s order adopting a report and recommendation to award attorney fees of $479,656.22 to a health care company and related entities in a relator’s qui tam suit against them asserting violations of the False Claims Act (FCA) regarding disputes over the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor program, finding that the lower court did not abuse its discretion in finding attorney fees “justified” due to the relator’s claims being “frivolous.”
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March 06, 2026
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A Pennsylvania federal judge denied dismissal of claims related to rescission, coverage and unjust enrichment in a declaratory judgment suit filed by a personal umbrella liability insurer seeking to rescind policies based upon the insured’s alleged material misrepresentations in policy applications regarding household composition and assets, finding that the insurer adequately alleged “the materiality” of information made in the applications.
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March 05, 2026
SAN FRANCISCO — The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals reversed and remanded a lower court’s grant of summary judgment for the U.S. government in its suit alleging that a wheat farmer defrauded the government and violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by concealing harvested wheat and receiving crop insurance indemnity payments of more than $500,000, finding that issues of fact remain regarding whether the farmer acted with the required scienter under the FCA.
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March 04, 2026
FORT MYERS, Fla. — After a jury returned a verdict finding that a life insurer was entitled to rescind its insured’s $1.4 million policy, a Florida federal judge on March 3 ordered the court clerk to enter judgment in favor of the insurer on the rescission issue and denied the insurer’s request for a declaratory judgment that the insured, a physician who has been missing at sea since Aug. 10, 2022, committed suicide.
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March 04, 2026
LAS VEGAS — A Nevada federal magistrate judge ordered the parties to appear for a settlement conference after a federal judge granted in part and denied in part cross-motions for summary judgment in insureds’ suit seeking coverage for expenses in defending another suit regarding fraud-based claims.
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March 03, 2026
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A Tennessee federal judge denied dismissal of qui tam relators’ suit alleging that Tennessee hospitals participated in a “scheme” in violation of the False Claims Act (FCA) by paying kickbacks to physicians who referred patients to the hospitals and submitted alleged false claims for reimbursement to government insurers, finding that the U.S. government’s complaint in intervention suffices to provide “examples of fraudulent conduct.”
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February 27, 2026
NEW YORK — A New York federal judge on Feb. 26 granted summary judgment for an insurer in a suit seeking rescission of a commercial policy issued to its insured hotel owner, finding that the insurer showed that it was “entitled to rescind the policy” because the facts show that the insured made a misrepresentation in the policy application.
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February 25, 2026
RALEIGH, N.C. — Without providing an explanation, the North Carolina Supreme Court on Feb. 24 issued orders dismissing a petition for a writ of supersedeas and motion for a temporary stay filed by former insurance mogul Greg Lindberg, now proceeding pro se, seeking a stay of trial court orders, including an order requiring him and his companies to pay $526 million in damages regarding conversion of assets in insurers’ breach of contract suit against him.