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Brian P. Dunphy

Member / Co-Chair, Health Care Enforcement Defense Practice

[email protected]

+1.617.348.1810

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Brian is a health care litigator and Co-Chair of the Health Care Enforcement Defense Group. Brian is a trusted advisor for clients, and he defends clients facing government investigations and whistleblower complaints regarding alleged violations of the federal False Claims Act (FCA) and similar state laws. Brian also handles commercial litigation involving business disputes for health care, life sciences, and biotechnology companies. He defends national product liability cases for pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Brian advises and counsels health care providers, health plans, Medicare Advantage plans, biotechnology and life sciences companies, and clinical laboratories. He represents them in government investigations, in litigation, at trial, and in arbitration.

In particular, Brian defends companies against government investigations of alleged violations of the FCA and the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS). He conducts internal investigations and litigates qui tam FCA cases in federal courts around the country. Brian is well-versed in health care regulatory requirements, including in Medicare Advantage and risk adjustment. Brian also represents health plans, biotechnology, life sciences, health care, and technology companies in complex business disputes.

Brian is committed to pro bono work and is a member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee. He obtained political asylum for a client who was tortured in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and he secured a residential educational placement for a disabled student. Brian has spent more than a decade advising a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the study, treatment, and prevention of the effects of concussions and other brain trauma in athletes and other at-risk groups.

Brian is also deeply involved in the Boston community as a member of the Board of Advisors for Life Science Cares, and the Boards of Directors of the Concussion Legacy Foundation and the Volunteers Lawyers Project. He was also a Member of the Boston College Law School Alumni Board.

Before attending law school, Brian was a project manager at Accenture, a management and technology consulting firm, where he provided project management and consulting services. Brian developed project plans and budgets, managed teams to meet project milestones, and worked with client executives to ensure projects met business objectives. He continues to utilize his project management skills working with his clients to manage matters effectively and to deliver timely results.

Brian is a health care litigator and Co-Chair of the Health Care Enforcement Defense Group. Brian is a trusted advisor for clients, and he defends clients facing government investigations and whistleblower complaints regarding alleged violations of the federal False Claims Act (FCA) and similar state laws. Brian also handles commercial litigation involving business disputes for health care, life sciences, and biotechnology companies. He defends national product liability cases for pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Experience

  • Defended numerous clients, including laboratories, health plans, and Medicare Advantage plans, in government FCA investigations and FCA litigation in jurisdictions around the country.
  • Represented a pharmaceutical firm, laboratory, and several executives in an FCA lawsuit in federal court, and the court dismissed relator’s complaint three times
  • Obtained dismissal of a whistleblower’s state and federal FCA claims against a vendor to Medicare Advantage plans. Argued the appeal in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, which affirmed the district court’s decision
  • Obtained a favorable resolution of an FCA case against a Medicare Advantage Organization before litigation
  • Obtained summary judgment in nine related cases against a publicly traded biotechnology company and a pharmaceutical company in multi-jurisdictional product liability disputes involving an FDA-approved pharmaceutical drug
  • Represented construction companies in a state Attorney General’s false claims act investigation related to a construction project
  • Obtained dismissal of a whistleblower’s state and federal FCA claims against a Pharmacy Benefit Manager in federal court, and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the district court’s decision in our client’s favor
  • Represented a health insurance company in an FCA lawsuit in federal court where relator alleged an industry wide drug-pricing scheme. The court dismissed the case
  • Defended companies against FCA retaliation claims before litigation, in litigation, and at trial
  • Obtained a defense verdict as trial counsel after a week-long federal court jury trial. Plaintiff, a former distributor of our client’s next-generation DNA sequencing machines, filed an 18-count, $100 million complaint against our client
  • Achieved victory in an arbitration for an international life sciences company initiated by one of the company’s suppliers. After an evidentiary hearing, a panel of arbitrators rejected the supplier’s claims and entered judgment for our client on its counterclaim, including recovery of our client’s attorneys’ fees and costs
  • Represented a life sciences company before the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce in a breach of contract dispute involving the manufacture of diagnostic assays
  • Successfully defended a physician before an Administrative Law Judge against an action by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine to revoke or suspend the physician’s license
  • Conducted an internal investigation of a health care provider and prepared a self-disclosure to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG)
  • Successfully opposed the OIG’s proposed exclusions of a physician from federal health care programs
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viewpoints

Fifth Circuit Joins Chorus to Rein in False Claims Act

August 27, 2013 | Blog | By Brian Dunphy

Add the Fifth Circuit to the list of jurisdictions questioning the use of the federal False Claims Act (FCA) in instances where - using the theory of implied certification - the alleged falsity is not apparent on the face of the claim. 
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OIG Releases Online Self-Disclosure Form

July 16, 2013 | Blog | By Brian Dunphy

Individuals or entities who voluntarily disclose potential fraud to the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services (the OIG) under the Provider Self-Disclosure Protocol (SDP) may now submit their disclosure online using the OIG’s newly released Self-Disclosure Online Form. 
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Updated Self-Disclosure Protocol Clarifies Disclosure Process and Obligations

April 22, 2013 | Advisory | By Karen Lovitch, Brian Dunphy

Individuals and entities subject to the Civil Monetary Penalty Law (CMP) have received clarification regarding the process for disclosing and resolving potentially unlawful conduct involving the federal health care programs (FHCP).
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The long-awaited final rule (the Final Rule) implementing the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (Sunshine Act) has arrived at the Federal Register.  It amends key definitions and adds new terms; retains broad reporting provisions but includes new limitations; exempts certain continuing medical education (CME) payments from disclosure; and includes additional reporting guidance.
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CMS Publishes Final Sunshine Act Rule; Data Collection to Begin on August 1, 2013

February 4, 2013 | Alert | By Brian Dunphy, Karen Lovitch

The long-awaited final rule (the Final Rule) implementing the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (Sunshine Act) has arrived at the Federal Register.
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Stakeholders Call for Final Sunshine Act Rule

January 17, 2013 | Blog | By Brian Dunphy

On January 14, 2013, a group of stakeholders, including the AARP and the AFL-CIO, urged the Obama Administration to issue the long-awaited final rule (the "Final Rule") implementing the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (the "Sunshine Act").
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On September 19th, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (“DPH”) published emergency amendments to its regulations, 105 CMR 970.000 et seq. (“Proposed Regulations”), designed to implement recent changes to the Massachusetts Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Manufacturer Code of Conduct, M.G.L. c. 111N (the “Gift Ban Law”). 
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California Assembly Votes to Amend State False Claims Act

August 24, 2012 | Blog | By Brian Dunphy, Carrie Roll

On August 16, 2012, the California Assembly passed a bill (AB 2492) amending California’s False Claims Act, Cal. Gov’t Code §§ 12650-12656 (“CA FCA”), which must be signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. 
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Public-Private Partnership to Fight Fraud Formed

July 27, 2012 | Blog | By Brian Dunphy

Private insurance companies, among others, are teaming up with the Government to prevent health care fraud.
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Massachusetts Softens the Gift Ban Law

July 10, 2012 | Blog | By Brian Dunphy

On July 8, 2012, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law amendments to the Massachusetts Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Manufacturer Code of Conduct, frequently referred to as the “gift ban law.”  The amendments softened the strict gift ban law in several ways.
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News & Press

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BOSTON –  Twenty-five Mintz attorneys have been named to Boston Magazine’s Top Lawyers list.

BOSTON – Mintz has appointed Brian Dunphy as Co-Chair of the firm’s Health Care Enforcement Defense Group with immediate effect. Brian joins Karen Lovitch, who also serves as Chair of the Health Law Practice, in joint leadership.

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In its second annual edition, 28 Mintz attorneys were named to Boston Magazine’s Top Lawyers list.

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Mintz Members Brian P. Dunphy, Joanne S. Hawana, and Jennifer B. Rubin co-authored a Bloomberg Law insights column examining potential legal liabilities for employers implementing Covid-19 workplace vaccination programs, explaining that immunity under the federal Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) is not absolute.
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Mintz Members Kevin Ainsworth and Brian Dunphy co-authored an article published by New York Law Journal that analyzes the conditions for, and limitations of, the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) immunity during the COVID-19 global health crisis.
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Mintz Members Brian Dunphy and Laurence Freedman, and Member and Co-Chair of the firm’s Health Law Practice Karen Lovitch co-authored this Law360 expert analysis article examining trends in U.S. Department of Justice health care enforcement in 2019, noting that the False Claims Act remains the government’s most powerful civil health care enforcement tool.
Brian Dunphy a Member in the Boston Mintz office authored the second article in a four-part series discussing some of 2017’s most important False Claims Act (FCA)-related court decisions.
Mintz has elevated five attorneys to Members of the firm. “These attorneys consistently demonstrate excellence in the delivery of legal services to the firm’s clients,” said Bob Bodian, Managing Member.
This is the fourth and final installment of a series from Mintz’s Health Law team recapping key government policies, regulations and enforcement actions from 2016 and discussing their potential impacts on 2017.
Fifty-three Mintz attorneys have been named Massachusetts Super Lawyers for 2016 and thirty-one have been named Massachusetts Rising Stars. The findings will be published in the November 2016 issue of Boston Magazine and in a stand-alone magazine, New England Super Lawyers. 
Mintz Members Brian Dunphy and Larry Freedman authored this BNA’s Medicare Report article discussing the long-awaited final Medicare Overpayment Rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Brian Dunphy, a Health Law and Litigation attorney, is quoted in this Becker’s Hospital Review piece on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ final rule.
Mintz Member Brian Dunphy is quoted in this Inside CMS article on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service's (CMS) final rules requiring healthcare providers and suppliers to report and return overpayments by a certain date.
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Brian is a health care litigator and Co-Chair of the Health Care Enforcement Defense Group. Brian is a trusted advisor for clients, and he defends clients facing government investigations and whistleblower complaints regarding alleged violations of the federal False Claims Act (FCA) and similar state laws. Brian also handles commercial litigation involving business disputes for health care, life sciences, and biotechnology companies. He defends national product liability cases for pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Recognition & Awards

  • Boston Magazine Top Lawyers – Health Care Law (2022-2023)

  • Volunteer Lawyers Project: 2019 Denis Maguire Award 

  • Included on the Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Star Health Care list 

  • Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Boston Future Leaders Program 

  • Boston Bar Association Public Interest Leadership Program 

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Brian is a health care litigator and Co-Chair of the Health Care Enforcement Defense Group. Brian is a trusted advisor for clients, and he defends clients facing government investigations and whistleblower complaints regarding alleged violations of the federal False Claims Act (FCA) and similar state laws. Brian also handles commercial litigation involving business disputes for health care, life sciences, and biotechnology companies. He defends national product liability cases for pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Involvement

  • Board of Advisors, Life Science Cares
  • Board of Directors, Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association
  • Board of Directors, Concussion Legacy Foundation
  • Alumni Board Member, Boston College Law School
  • Member, Boston Bar Association
  • Member, Massachusetts Bar Association
  • Member, American Bar Association
  • Member, American Health Lawyers Association
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Brian P. Dunphy

Member / Co-Chair, Health Care Enforcement Defense Practice

Boston