Kang Haggerty News

Taxpayers Against Fraud: Relator’s Share: What Is It? How Does It Work? What Is The Process?

October 19, 2022 | Kandis Kovalsky

In the October 2022 Edition of Taxpayers Against Fraud (TAF) Newsletter, Kandis Kovalsky wrote “Relator’s Share: What Is It? How Does It Work? What Is The Process?”

To incentivize whistleblowers to assist the Government in combatting fraud on the Government and its taxpayers, the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3729, et seq. (the “FCA”) ensures that a whistleblower under the FCA (referred to as a “Relator”) receives at least 15 percent of the proceeds recovered by the Government in any action filed under the FCA by a Relator (referred to as a “qui tam” action). A Relator receives 15 percent of the proceeds of an FCA action just by causing a complaint to be filed; 15 percent is the minimum. Continue reading ›

Legal Intelligencer: The Great Pandemic Heist: Attorneys’ Role in Fighting PPP Loan Fraud

October 18, 2022 | Edward T. Kang

In the October 13, 2022 edition of The Legal Intelligencer, Edward T. Kang wrote “The Great Pandemic Heist: Attorneys’ Role in Fighting PPP Loan Fraud”

In the COVID-19 era, there has been a heist of great value, but it has not gone undetected. Prosecutors have called the heist the largest fraud in U.S. history, with the thieves stealing hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer money through fraudulently obtained Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

The “good” thieves are able to abscond with tremendously valuable items while remaining undetected. They take care to cover their tracks, to make sure any witnesses are silenced, and to financially clean the ill-gotten goods as quickly as possible. In the COVID-19 era, there has been a heist of great value, but it has not gone undetected. Prosecutors have called the heist the largest fraud in U.S. history, with the thieves stealing hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer money through fraudulently obtained Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The thieves’ plan to line their pockets was fairly simple: steal the money that the government was doling out to help buoy the economy during the throes of the pandemic. They took advantage of the government’s urgent loan dispersal to those who required immediate help. But the thieves could not resist showing off their looted wealth. They began purchasing flashy and expensive Lamborghinis, beautiful beachfront houses, and spending large amounts in cash. The careless and reckless nature of the heist has proven to be its undoing, and now the U.S. government is coming to take back what was stolen—although they are not acting alone.

Legal Intelligencer: The Disappearing Jury Trial and Its Affect on the American Legal System

September 23, 2022 | Edward T. Kang

An examination of the processes often undertaken to dismiss cases before trial, and the lasting effects that a decline in jury trials may have on the American legal system at large.

In the September 22, 2022 edition of The Legal Intelligencer, Edward T. Kang wrote “The Disappearing Jury Trial and Its Affect on the American Legal System.” Continue reading ›

Kang Haggerty Attorneys Recognized in 29th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America

August 18, 2022 | Kang Haggerty LLC

Kang Haggerty LLC is pleased to announce that four of the firm’s attorneys have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2023. Congratulations to Henry J. Donner, Gregory H. Mathews, Kandis L. Kovalsky and Kyle T. Garabedian. Continue reading ›

Legal Intelligencer: Individual Liability in the Opioid Epidemic: An Examination of Recent Developments

July 29, 2022 | Edward T. Kang

Throughout the past decade, the country has been battling a raging epidemic and public health crisis: opioid addiction. In 2021, over 80,000 people died from opioid overdoses. Pennsylvania has one of the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths in the country. The crisis in Pennsylvania is so severe that it is decreasing the life expectancy in the commonwealth.

In the July 29, 2022 edition of The Legal Intelligencer, Edward T. Kang wrote “Individual Liability in the Opioid Epidemic: An Examination of Recent Developments.” Continue reading ›

Kang Haggerty Honors Whistleblowers on National Whistleblower Appreciation Day—July 30, 2022

July 29, 2022 | Kang Haggerty LLC

2022-NWB-Day1080-×-1080-px-1024x1024 Kang Haggerty is proud to honor all whistleblowers—past, present, and future—on National Whistleblower Appreciation Day, recognized each year on July 30^th to commemorate the passage of the very first U.S. whistleblower law on July 30, 1778. Continue reading ›

Law360 Covers Opening of Kang Haggerty’s Whistleblower Division

July 8, 2022 | Kang Haggerty LLC

Law360’s Rachel Rippetoe reported on Kang Haggerty’s formation of The Whistleblower Advocates. The article highlights the firm’s whistleblower practice, led by Edward T. Kang, Kandis L. Kovalsky, and Ross M. Wolfe. Continue reading ›

Legal Intelligencer: Nonparty Witness Invoking the Fifth Amendment Privilege in a Civil Case

June 30, 2022 | Edward T. Kang

Practitioners should anticipate when a witness will invoke the privilege and how to deal with or use such invocation applying the principles of fairness and reliability.

In the June 30, 2022 edition of The Legal Intelligencer, Edward T. Kang wrote “Nonparty Witness Invoking the Fifth Amendment Privilege in a Civil Case.” Continue reading ›

Legal Intelligencer: ‘Depp v. Heard’: Public Trials and the Social Media Era

June 17, 2022 | Edward T. Kang

Depp-v-Heard-1024x538 Beyond the substantive legal matters at issue, one procedural aspect of the trial has also generated significant attention; namely, that the entire proceeding was livestreamed for the public. We discuss below the pros and cons of such coverage, the history of recording devices in courtrooms, as well as provide recommendations for balancing the countervailing concerns at issue.