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Cross-Office Team Obtains Favorable Settlement for Clients in High-Profile False Claims Act Litigation

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (November 3, 2025) - A cross-office team led by Fort Lauderdale/Miami Partner Sean P. Shecter, co-chair of the firm’s Government Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice, and Fort Lauderdale Partner Wade Williams achieved a favorable settlement on behalf of Lewis Brisbois clients facing significant exposure in a high-profile federal qui tam action filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida alleging substantial Medicare fraud. Mr. Shecter and Mr. Williams were joined by Washington, D.C. Associate Rebecca Wiley. 

Co-Chair of the firm’s National Complex Business & Commercial Litigation Practice, Kenneth Joyce, Fort Lauderdale Managing Partner and Vice Chair of the Labor & Employment Practice, Cheryl Wilke, and Fort Lauderdale Associates Nicholas Esser and Diego Elias also provided invaluable assistance. 

The team was engaged to defend a Florida-based physician, with multiple practices, a management services organization, and a field marketing organization against claims brought under the False Claims Act (FCA) alleging substantial Medicare fraud. The government declined to intervene in the case, but the relators sought hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and named several major health insurers as co-defendants. Following months of intensive discovery and motion practice, the Lewis Brisbois team successfully negotiated a settlement with no admission of liability—just weeks before trial was scheduled to begin.

Mr. Shecter noted, “Lewis Brisbois brings a deep bench of top-tier litigators to high-stakes False Claims Act matters, delivering strategic, effective defense in complex cases. Our ability to build powerhouse teams across offices allows us to successfully handle any type of False Claims Act litigation—no matter the scope or complexity.”

The case is United States ex rel. Brian Butler and Mark Philipp v. Mazin Shikara, case number 20-80483, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.


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