Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_14-cv-01511/USCOURTS-cand-3_14-cv-01511-5/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Covidien, Inc.
Defendant
Erin Hayes
Plaintiff
Richard Ponder
Plaintiff
State of California
Plaintiff
United States of America
Plaintiff

Document Text:

STIPULATION AND REQUEST 

FOR ENLARGEMENT OF TIME; PROPOSED ORDER 

C 14-1511 EDL 

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BENJAMIN C. MIZER 

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General 

BRIAN J. STRETCH (CSBN 163973) 

Acting United States Attorney 

ALEX G. TSE (CSBN 152348) 

Chief, Civil Division 

MELANIE L. PROCTOR (CSBN 228971) 

Assistant United States Attorney 

450 Golden Gate Avenue, Box 36055 

San Francisco, California 94102 

Telephone: (415) 436-6730 

Fax: (415) 436-6748 

e-mail: melanie.proctor@usdoj.gov

MICHAEL D. GRANSTON 

TRACY L. HILMER 

AMY D. KOSSAK 

Attorneys, Civil Division 

United States Department of Justice 

 Ben Franklin Station, Box 261 

 Washington, D.C. 20044 

 Telephone: (202) 616-2856 

 Fax: (202) 305-7797 

 e-mail: Amy.D.Kossak@usdoj.gov 

Attorneys for the United States of America 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the 

STATE OF CALIFORNIA ex rel. 

ERIN HAYES and RICHARD PONDER, 

 Plaintiffs, 

 v. 

COVIDIEN, INC., a corporation, 

 Defendant. 

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CASE NO. C 14-1511 EDL 

STIPULATION AND REQUEST FOR 

ENLARGEMENT OF TIME; 

[PROPOSED ORDER] 

FILED UNDER SEAL 

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Case 3:14-cv-01511-VC Document 22 Filed 12/03/15 Page 1 of 5
STIPULATION AND REQUEST 

FOR ENLARGEMENT OF TIME; PROPOSED ORDER 

C 14-1511 EDL 

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The United States of America, the State of California, and ERIN HAYES and RICHARD 

PONDER, as Relators, through their undersigned counsel of record, hereby stipulate and request 

that the Court enlarge until June 4, 2016, the period during which the United States and the State 

of California may elect to intervene in the above-captioned False Claims Act (“FCA”), 31 U.S.C. 

§§ 3729-3733 qui tam action or notify the Court that it declines to do so, during which period the 

complaint and other filings shall remain under seal and not be served on Defendant. Similar 

motions are being filed today in the two other cases that have been related to this case under 

Local Rule 3-12. All three motions seek an extension of the seal and intervention deadlines until 

June 4, 2016. 

1. This request is being filed ex parte pursuant to Civ. L.R. 7-10 and the FCA. It is 

not being served on Defendant, as the case is under seal and Defendant has not yet been served 

in this case. This filing is being served on Relators. 

2. This action was filed on April 1, 2014, under the qui tam provisions of the FCA. 

Among other things, these provisions authorize private parties (known as relators) to file lawsuits 

alleging FCA violations on behalf of the United States. 41 U.S.C. § 3730(b). 

3. In this action, Relators allege, inter alia, that Defendant (1) engaged in unlawful 

kickback schemes and (2) unlawfully markets its endo-arterial products for off-label use. 

4. Under the FCA, the qui tam relator is required to file the complaint under seal and 

serve it on the United States, but not on the defendant, so that the government may investigate 

the allegations in the complaint and make an informed decision whether to intervene in the 

action before the defendant is made aware of the case. The FCA provides that the complaint 

“shall remain under seal for at least 60 days, and shall not be served on the defendant until the 

court so orders.” 31 U.S.C. § 3730(b)(2). The qui tam provisions of the FCA expressly 

contemplate that motions for extensions of the 60-day period will be permitted upon a showing 

of “good cause.” 31 U.S.C. § 3730(b)(2) and (3). 

5. In the present case, Relators completed service of their written disclosure of 

material evidence and the Complaint on the United States Attorney on April 4, 2014. The Court 

has extended the seal three times, and it currently expires on December 4, 2015. 

Case 3:14-cv-01511-VC Document 22 Filed 12/03/15 Page 2 of 5
STIPULATION AND REQUEST 

FOR ENLARGEMENT OF TIME; PROPOSED ORDER 

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6. The United States and California have been actively investigating this case. Since 

the Complaint was filed, the United States and California have assembled a team of investigators 

and attorneys, interviewed the relators, served a subpoena upon Defendant, and received 

documents from Defendant in response to that subpoena. On June 3, 2015, at the request of the 

United States, this Court partially lifted the seal on this action to permit the United States, among 

other things, to disclose relators’ allegations to Defendant and its counsel, which the United 

States has done. The United States and Defendant will be meeting in early December to further 

discuss the allegations in the complaint and further advance the investigation. The United States 

has determined that additional time will be necessary to complete its investigation and make an 

intervention decision. 

7. Accordingly, the United States and the State of California seek a six-month 

extension of the seal and intervention deadlines in the present case until June 4, 2016. During 

the extension period, if granted, the United States and the State of California will continue to 

diligently investigate Relators’ allegations. 

DATED: November 30, 2015 BENJAMIN C. MIZER 

 Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General 

BRIAN J. STRETCH 

 Acting United States Attorney 

 /s/Melanie L. Proctor 

 MELANIE L. PROCTOR 

 Assistant United States Attorney 

MICHAEL D. GRANSTON 

TRACY L. HILMER 

AMY D. KOSSAK 

Attorneys, Civil Division 

United States Department of Justice 

 Ben Franklin Station, Box 261 

 Washington, D.C. 20044 

 Telephone: (202) 616-2856 

 Fax: (202) 305-7797 

 e-mail: Amy.D.Kossak@usdoj.gov 

Attorneys for the United States of America 

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STIPULATION AND REQUEST 

FOR ENLARGEMENT OF TIME; PROPOSED ORDER 

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DATED: November 30, 2015 KAMALA HARRIS 

 Attorney General for the State of California 

/s/Siobhan Franklin 

SIOBHAN FRANKLIN

Deputy Attorney General

California Attorney General’s Office

Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse

1455 Frazee Road, Suite 315

San Diego, CA 92108

Telephone: 619-688-6071

Siobhan.Franklin@doj.ca.gov

 Attorneys for the State of California 

 

DATED: November 30, 2015 /s/Christian Schrieber 

 CHRISTIAN SCHRIEBER 

 Chavez & Gertler, LLP 

 42 Miller Avenue 

 Mill Valley, CA 94941 

 Attorney for Relators 

Case 3:14-cv-01511-VC Document 22 Filed 12/03/15 Page 4 of 5
STIPULATION AND REQUEST 

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[PROPOSED] ORDER 

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT: 

1. The United States and the State of California shall have up to and including June 

4, 2016, to inform the Court of their decisions whether to intervene in this matter. 

2. This matter shall otherwise remain under seal until further order of the Court. 

 

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

Dated: __________________________ ______________________________ 

 HON. ELIZABETH D. LAPORTE 

 United States Magistrate Judge 

___________ December 3, 2015

Case 3:14-cv-01511-VC Document 22 Filed 12/03/15 Page 5 of 5