{"id":806,"date":"2011-08-03T15:07:26","date_gmt":"2011-08-03T19:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/?p=806"},"modified":"2011-08-03T15:08:34","modified_gmt":"2011-08-03T19:08:34","slug":"pursuing-planned-parenthood-in-federal-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/08\/pursuing-planned-parenthood-in-federal-court.html","title":{"rendered":"Pursuing Planned Parenthood in Federal Court"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’re moving forward with our aggressive strategy against Planned Parenthood (PP)<\/a> in what can only be described as a massive fraud case involving the PP affiliates of California.<\/p>\n

You may recall that we achieved a major victory in 2010<\/a> when a federal appeals court reinstated a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood after a lower court dismissed it.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

At the heart of the issue: an alleged scheme to overbill both federal and state governments to the tune of tens of millions of dollars – all at the expense of taxpayers.<\/p>\n

We represent a whistleblower, the former Chief Financial Officer of PP’s Los Angeles affiliate, who discovered a statewide scheme of PP affiliates dramatically marking up claims for taxpayer reimbursement. The complaint charges PP with bilking the state and federal governments of some $100 million.<\/p>\n

The federal False Claims Act (FCA) forbids government contractors from submitting false or fraudulent claims for payment. The FCA also authorizes private individuals to bring suit against the offenders to recover the fraudulently obtained funds.<\/p>\n

A large, private law firm is defending PP and has thrown up a series of roadblocks to the case. Our legal team has been busy plowing through them.<\/p>\n

PP originally asked that the entire case be dismissed on jurisdictional grounds. The district court did so back in November of 2008, and that’s when we entered the case to handle the appeal. As I reported, we got the case back on track when a federal appeals court reinstated the suit, which is currently being litigated in federal district court in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

To say there’s been a series of legal twists and turns along the way is an understatement.<\/p>\n

PP filed an answer to the complaint but then moved for judgment in its favor on a variety of new grounds. In April 2011, the district court agreed to throw out the claims under state law, but rejected PP’s main challenge to the federal FCA part of the suit. However, the court said that the whistleblower, our client, had to provide more detail about the alleged fraud in the complaint. Our attorneys prepared and filed an amended version of the complaint on in May.<\/p>\n

At that point, PP filed another motion, this time asking for judgment in its favor in part and requesting that the judge strike part of the new complaint. Our attorneys have just filed a legal memorandum with the court opposing PP\u2019s latest motion. The matter is set for a hearing on August 22, 2011.<\/p>\n

PP has a lot at stake and is not about to roll over. A whistleblower could not possibly fight and win a case like this without major legal assistance. This is a very complicated, time-consuming case that requires legal expertise and strategic sophistication.<\/p>\n

The bottom line is this: We know that this will continue to be a lengthy legal battle, and we remain committed to pursuing Planned Parenthood in this case.<\/p>\n

I will keep you posted as developments unfold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We’re moving forward with our aggressive strategy against Planned Parenthood (PP) in what can only be described as a massive fraud case involving the PP affiliates of California. You may recall that we achieved a major victory in 2010 when a federal appeals court reinstated a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood after a lower court dismissed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,3,31,29],"tags":[743,57,265,155,263,264,751,262],"class_list":["post-806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-abortion","category-faith","category-planned-parenthood","category-pro-life","tag-aclj","tag-california","tag-false-claims-act","tag-federal-lawsuit","tag-fraud","tag-overbilling","tag-planned-parenthood","tag-taxpayer-funds"],"yoast_head":"\nPursuing Planned Parenthood in Federal Court - Faith & Justice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/08\/pursuing-planned-parenthood-in-federal-court.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pursuing Planned Parenthood in Federal Court - Faith & Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We’re moving forward with our aggressive strategy against Planned Parenthood (PP) in what can only be described as a massive fraud case involving the PP affiliates of California. You may recall that we achieved a major victory in 2010 when a federal appeals court reinstated a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood after a lower court dismissed…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/08\/pursuing-planned-parenthood-in-federal-court.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith & Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-08-03T19:07:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-08-03T19:08:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/files\/2011\/07\/shutterstock_80531161-199x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jay Sekulow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Pursuing Planned Parenthood in Federal Court - Faith & Justice","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/08\/pursuing-planned-parenthood-in-federal-court.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Pursuing Planned Parenthood in Federal Court - Faith & Justice","og_description":"We’re moving forward with our aggressive strategy against Planned Parenthood (PP) in what can only be described as a massive fraud case involving the PP affiliates of California. 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He is also Chief Counsel of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). Jay Sekulow is one of the leading defenders of constitutional rights and religious liberties in the United States. Over the past 25 years, Jay Sekulow has amassed an unparalleled record of accomplishment, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court on 12 occasions. His aggressive litigation strategy before the Supreme Court has led to many landmark First Amendment victories. In his first case before the Supreme Court, Jews for Jesus, Jay Sekulow secured the right of religious groups to pass out tracks in airports. In Mergens, Jay Sekulow successfully protected the right of students to form Bible clubs and prayer groups on public school campuses. In Lamb\u2019s Chapel, Jay Sekulow cleared the way for churches to have equal access to public facilities in the same way that other groups are permitted to utilize those facilities. In the Bray and Operation Rescue cases, Jay Sekulow protected the free speech rights of pro-life advocates to be free from criminal prosecution for conveying their pro-life message. In McConnell v. FEC, Jay Sekulow protected the right of young people to engage in the political process by donating to the campaign of their choice. In Pleasant Grove, Jay Sekulow paved the way for governments to be able to display Ten Commandments monuments, and other monuments of their choosing, in public parks. Through the ACLJ, Jay Sekulow engages the political, legal, and cultural battles facing America today. He routinely works with Members of Congress, advising them on proposed legislation and representing them in critical legal matters. Jay Sekulow has also testified before Congress on the constitutionality of proposed legislation. Also, in addition to being a successful Supreme Court advocate, Jay Sekulow is a highly respected broadcaster. Jay Sekulow is the host of Jay Sekulow Live! which airs each weekday on over 850 radio stations nationwide, in addition Sirius and XM satellite radio. He brings insight and education to listeners daily through this national call-in radio program. He is also the host of the ACLJ This Week, the ACLJ\u2019s weekly television program. Jay Sekulow regularly appears on major media outlets, including FOX News, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC, where he is sought out for his vast experience in constitutional law and his unique insight into many of the pressing legal and political issues facing America today. He is frequently quoted in the nation's leading newspapers and often contributes opinion editorials to national publications. Jay Sekulow has also published numerous law review and other scholarly articles. Jay Sekulow has received numerous honors for his groundbreaking legal work in the area of free speech and religious liberties. The Legal Times has named Sekulow one of \u201cThe 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years\u201d and the National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \u201c100 Most Influential Lawyers\u201d in the United States. In addition, TIME Magazine listed Jay Sekulow as one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America. Jay Sekulow\u2019s legal work in defense of religious liberties and human rights extends beyond the United States, having founded the ECLJ in Strasbourg, France, which maintains consultative status with the United Nations. He has also opened offices in Pakistan, Africa, and Jerusalem, Israel. Jay Sekulow is a staunch defender of Israel, presenting arguments before the International Criminal Court at the Hague. His efforts in support of Israel\u2019s right to defend itself from terrorist attacks have been commended by Israeli government officials, one official stating, \"Jay was instrumentally-involved in projects that the President of Israel and the Prime Minister put on our national agenda.\" Jay Sekulow also has a passion for educating the next generation of religious liberty advocates. He is a member of the Regent University Law School Faculty as a Distinguished Professor of Law and routinely teaches courses on constitutional law and presents guest lectures. Jay Sekulow has also started educational programs in international human rights law in Strasbourg, France and at Handong University in South Korea. Jay Sekulow is a graduate of Mercer University, earning both a bachelor\u2019s degree and doctor of jurisprudence. Sekulow served on the editorial staff of the Mercer Law Review and graduated cum laude. He later earned a Ph.D. from Regent University, writing his dissertation on American Legal History. Jay Sekulow also serves on the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C. Jay Sekulow, ACLJ Chief Counsels full biography and video. Jay Sekulow on Facebook. Jay Sekulow on Twitter. Jay Sekulow on YouTube.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/author\/jay_sekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=806"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":815,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806\/revisions\/815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}