{"id":237,"date":"2009-10-26T15:37:51","date_gmt":"2009-10-26T15:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/10\/no-halloween-outcry-concern-ov.html"},"modified":"2009-10-26T15:37:51","modified_gmt":"2009-10-26T15:37:51","slug":"no-halloween-outcry-concern-ov","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/10\/no-halloween-outcry-concern-ov.html","title":{"rendered":"No Halloween Outcry; Concern Over Use of Taxpayer Funds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Barry, we don’t get a lot of calls about Halloween.  <\/span>Over the years, it’s not something we hear much about.  <\/span>And this year is no exception.  <\/span>What we are hearing about from a lot of folks, though, is the continued frustration and concern about the use of taxpayer dollars to fund organizations like Planned Parenthood – the nation’s largest abortion provider.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A recent example is what’s taking place in Ohio where a local government body approved a $50,000 grant to Planned Parenthood to provide ‘sex education’ in public schools<\/a>.   <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/p>\n

At the national level, as Planned Parenthood continues to receive hundreds of millions of federal taxpayer dollars each year, debate is intensifying over whether the organization should receive ANY federal funds in the future.  <\/span>In Congress, Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana has introduced H.R. 614 <\/a>which would prohibit federal dollars from going to Planned Parenthood. <\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

As this unfolds, I want to call your attention to an important case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Ninth Circuit – a multi-million dollar fraud case against Planned Parenthood affiliates in California.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We represent a former executive <\/a>of the Planned Parenthood Los Angeles affiliate.  <\/font><\/font><\/font>He is now a federal whistleblower.  <\/span>And the allegations are very serious.  <\/span>Specifically, the allegation in this case is that PP affiliates in California illegally marked up the supposed cost of various birth control drugs when seeking government reimbursement, resulting in tens of millions of dollars of overbilling – at taxpayer expense.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Times <\/a>has reported on this case and noted that the overbilling began in the late 1990’s.  <\/font><\/font><\/font>The report points out that in just one year – 2003 – a state audit in California found at least $5.2 million in overbilling from just one of the nine state affiliates.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>A federal court dismissed the initial lawsuit brought by our client saying the former PP executive did not qualify as a whistleblower.  <\/span>In our briefs <\/a>filed in this case, <\/font>we’re asking the federal appeals court to overturn that decision and reinstate the lawsuit.  <\/span>Our arguments are clear: our client does indeed meet the legal definition of a federal whistleblower under the federal False Claims Act (FCA) which 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.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The FCA was designed to remedy illegal runs on taxpayer funds.  <\/span>And, no organization – not even Planned Parenthood – should be permitted to scam the public treasury for profit.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>Barry, how about standing with us on this issue?  <\/span>How about filing an amicus brief supporting our position?<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font> <\/p>\n

To subscribe to “Lynn v. Sekulow” click <\/font>here<\/font><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Barry, we don’t get a lot of calls about Halloween.  Over the years, it’s not something we hear much about.  And this year is no exception.  What we are hearing about from a lot of folks, though, is the continued frustration and concern about the use of taxpayer dollars to fund organizations like Planned Parenthood…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,8,2,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-abortion","category-congress","category-courts","category-public-schools"],"yoast_head":"\nNo Halloween Outcry; Concern Over Use of Taxpayer Funds - Lynn v. 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Jay Sekulow has also served as a faculty member for the Office of Legal Education at the United States Department of Justice.  As a member of the faculty he instructed Assistant United States Attorneys and investigators in the First Amendment issues associated with prosecution of obscenity. An accomplished and respected judicial advocate, Sekulow has presented oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in numerous cases in defense of constitutional freedoms. Several landmark cases argued by Sekulow before the U.S. Supreme Court have become part of the legal landscape in the area of religious liberty litigation.  In the Mergens case, Sekulow cleared the way for public school students to form Bible clubs and religious organizations on their school campuses.  In the Lamb's Chapel case, Sekulow defended the free speech rights of religious groups, ensuring that they be treated equally with respect to the use of public facilities.  And, most recently, in McConnell v. FEC, Sekulow ensured that the constitutional rights of young people remain protected with a unanimous decision by the high court guaranteeing that minors can participate in political campaigns. A nationally recognized and respected defender of religious freedom, Sekulow has assembled one of the most prestigious law firms in the nation.  Founded in 1990, the American Center for Law and Justice focuses in constitutional law.  The ACLJ, under Sekulow's direction, is involved in public interest and public policy issues working to protect religious and constitutional liberties. In 2007, the Chicago Tribune concluded that the ACLJ has \"led the way\" in Christian legal advocacy.  In 2005, TIME Magazine named Sekulow one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America and called the ACLJ \"a powerful counterweight\" to the ACLU.  Business Week said the ACLJ is \"the leading advocacy group for religious freedom.\"  Sekulow's work on the issue of judicial nominees - including possible vacancies at the Supreme Court - has received extensive news coverage including a front page story in The Wall Street Journal.  In addition, The National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \"100 Most Influential Lawyers\" in the United States (1994, 1997).  He is also among a distinguished group of attorneys known as \"The Public Sector 45\" named by The American Lawyer (January\/February 1997).  The magazine said the designation represents \"45 young lawyers outside the private sector whose vision and commitment are changing lives.\" Sekulow brings insight and education to listeners daily with his national call-in radio program, Jay Sekulow Live!, which is broadcast throughout the country on nearly 850 radio stations.  Sekulow also hosts a weekly television program, ACLJ This Week, which tackles the tough issues of the day and is broadcast on a number of networks nationwide including the Trinity Broadcasting Network and FamilyNet.  Sekulow is also a popular guest on nationally televised news programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, CNBC, and PBS.  He frequently contributes articles and commentary to national publications and is often quoted in the nation's leading newspapers including USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Washington Times. A graduate of Mercer University, Sekulow graduated cum laude receiving both a bachelor's degree and doctor of jurisprudence from Mercer University where he served on the Mercer Law Review as an editorial staff member.  Following graduation, Sekulow served as a tax trial attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service.  In that capacity, Sekulow prepared and brought to trial tax cases on behalf of the United States Department of Treasury in United States Tax Court. He also received a Ph.D. from Regent University, with a dissertation on American Legal History, and is the author of numerous publications and law articles. Sekulow serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, DC.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/author\/jsekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}