As described in an April 17, 2018 article originally posted on the Sheppard Mullin Richter and Hampton, LLP False Claims Act Defense Blog, Kmart Corporation and the U.S. Department of Justice entered into a False Claims Act settlement agreement dated March 8, 2018, to end an investigation that was conducted jointly by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California and California’s Bureau of Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse.

In a March 8, 2018 Press Release issued by the Department of Justice, the Department reported that the settlement was the result of a whistleblower lawsuit against Kmart in which the whistleblower, a Pharmacist-in-Charge at a California Kmart location in Lakeport, California, alleged that Kmart violated the federal False Claims Act by knowingly submitting claims for reimbursement to California’s Medi‑Cal program that were not supported by applicable diagnosis and documentation requirements.  As described in the March 8, 2018 Press Release, Kmart paid $525,000, as required by the Settlement Agreement; of this amount, $96,500 went to the whistleblower.
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