Brian is a member of the Health Care Enforcement Defense Group, and he defends clients facing government investigations and whistleblower complaints regarding alleged violations of the federal False Claims Act and similar state laws — often related to purported overpayments or kickbacks. Brian also handles commercial health care litigation involving business disputes, and he defends national product liability cases for pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
Brian advises and counsels health care providers, biotechnology and life sciences companies, clinical laboratories, and pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. He represents them in litigation and government investigations. He is also a member of the firm’s Health Care Enforcement Defense Group and is a frequent author on health care fraud and abuse issues.
Brian focuses his practice on defending companies against government investigations of alleged violations of the False Claims Act (FCA) and the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), conducting internal investigations, and litigating qui tam FCA cases in federal courts around the country. Brian also defends pharmaceutical and biotech companies in national product liability cases and represents biotechnology, life sciences, and technology companies in complex business disputes.
Brian has spent nearly 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. He is a member of the firm's Sports & Entertainment Practice.
Brian is also committed to pro bono work. He is a member of the team that manages the Massachusetts Civil Appeals Clinic. He successfully represented a client from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who was granted political asylum, and he obtained a residential educational placement for a disabled student.
Brian is a member of the Board of Directors of the Volunteers Lawyers Project and he is a committee member of the United Way's "BoSTEM" Leadership Breakfast to benefit STEM education in the Boston Public Schools.
Before attending law school, Brian was a project manager at Accenture, a management and technology consulting firm. He continues to utilize his project management skills working with his clients to manage matters effectively and to deliver timely results.
Education
- Boston College (JD)
- Boston College (BA)
Experience
- Defended numerous clients in government investigations resulting from qui tam FCA complaints, and in FCA litigations, in jurisdictions around the country
- Obtained summary judgment in ten out of ten related cases against our clients, a publicly traded biotechnology company and a pharmaceutical company, in multi-jurisdictional product liability disputes involving an FDA-approved drug
- 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
- Directed an internal investigation to address employee claims of a potential FCA violation
- Obtained a defense verdict as trial counsel after a week-long federal court jury trial. Azco Biotech, Inc. v. Intelligent Bio-Systems, Inc., 12-cv-2599-BEN, U.S. Dist. Ct. (S.D. Cal.). 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
- 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
- Secured a dismissal of a False Claims Act suit brought by an ex-employee whistleblower who accused the company of knowingly overcharging Medicaid for the cost of pharmaceuticals.
- Obtained a defense verdict as trial counsel after a week-long federal court jury trial. Azco Biotech, Inc. v. Intelligent Bio-Systems, Inc., 12-cv-2599-BEN, U.S. Dist. Ct. (S.D. Cal.). Plaintiff, a former distributor of our client’s next-generation DNA sequencing machines, filed an 18-count, $100 million complaint against our client. Following extensive discovery, we persuaded the court to narrow the case to a single breach of contract claim. The jury returned a unanimous verdict in our client’s favor
- 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
- Represent 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
- 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)
Recognition & Awards
- Included on the Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Star: Health Care list (2014 – 2017)
- Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Boston Future Leaders Program
- Boston Bar Association Public Interest Leadership Program
Involvement
- Board of Directors, Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association
- Board of Directors, Concussion Legacy Foundation
- Committee Member, United Way BoSTEM Leadership Breakfast
- Member, Boston Bar Association
- Member, Massachusetts Bar Association
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, American Health Lawyers Association
Recent Insights
Viewpoints
Tenth Circuit Revives FCA Claim Based on Alleged Lack of Medical Necessity
July 15, 2018|Blog
Health Care Enforcement Year in Review and 2018 Outlook: Major Case Law Developments
January 3, 2018|Blog
President’s Budget Blueprint Increases Funds For Health Care Fraud Enforcement
March 16, 2017|Blog
News & Press
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.
Brian Dunphy, a Health Law and Litigation Member in the Mintz Boston office, was featured in a Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly article about his appointment to the Boston Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project’s Board of Directors.
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.
Events
Mintz's Health Care Enforcement Defense attorneys, Eoin Beirne, Brian Dunphy, Hope Foster, and Karen Lovitch will speak on the webinar titled, "Health Care Enforcement Year in Review & 2018 Outlook." The attorneys will discuss how health care trends will play out in 2018.
Viewpoints
Tenth Circuit Revives FCA Claim Based on Alleged Lack of Medical Necessity
July 15, 2018| Blog
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a significant decision, finding that a physician’s medical judgment about the medical necessity of heart procedures can be “false or fraudulent” under the federal False Claims Act (FCA).
Health Care Enforcement Year in Review and 2018 Outlook: Major Case Law Developments
January 3, 2018| Blog
Like prior years, 2017 saw large government recoveries and a high volume of False Claims Act (“FCA”) cases, which remain the government’s primary health care enforcement tool.
President’s Budget Blueprint Increases Funds For Health Care Fraud Enforcement
March 16, 2017| Blog
The President has released a “budget blueprint” for fiscal year 2018. Although there are many aspects of the budget blueprint to digest, several budget items signal that government health care fraud enforcement remains a priority under the new administration.
Fourth Circuit Permits DOJ to Reject an FCA Settlement, But Punts Decision on Statistical Sampling
February 22, 2017| Blog
In a closely watched False Claims Act (“FCA”) case, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals decided that the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has an unreviewable right to object to a proposed settlement agreement between a relator and a defendant when the Government has declined to intervene in the case.
Health Care Enforcement Review and 2017 Outlook: Significant Health Care Fraud and Abuse Civil Settlements and Criminal Resolutions
January 10, 2017| Blog
In this final installment of our Health Care Enforcement Review and 2017 Outlook series, we analyze health care enforcement trends gathered from 2016 civil settlements and criminal resolutions of health care fraud and abuse cases. Behind the headlines covering enormous recoveries in 2016, several themes are apparent.
Recent Developments Around Pharmaceutical Drug Spending In Massachusetts
November 17, 2016| Blog
As is well known, drug prices have been widely discussed nationally. They have been the subject of Congressional hearings and, in the case of Mylan, a high profile settlement.
Join Us For A Webinar On October 26th Discussing Pharmacy Industry Enforcement
October 6, 2016| Blog
Please join Mintz Levin for a webinar discussing health care fraud enforcement in the pharmacy and pharmaceutical industry on October 26, 2016 at 1 pm (ET). My colleagues Theresa Carnegie, Larry Freedman, and Ellyn Sternfield, members of Mintz Levin’s Health Law and Health Care Enforcement Defense practices, will discuss enforcement trends facing the industry.
Penalties For Health Care Law Violations Surge
September 21, 2016| Blog
The civil monetary penalties for violations of myriad health care laws continue to rise. In June, we discussed the enormous increase in penalties under the federal False Claims Act (“FCA”).
Mintz’s Health Care Enforcement Defense Group Publishes New Qui Tam Update
August 5, 2016| Blog
Mintz’s Health Care Enforcement Defense Group published its most recent Health Care Qui Tam Update on August 4, 2016. This Update covers 31 health care-related False Claims Act cases that have been unsealed since the last Health Care Qui Tam Update.
Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services Sentenced; Another Physician Pleads Guilty
July 8, 2016| Blog
The long-running test-referral prosecution against Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services, LLC (“BLS”), a New Jersey clinical blood testing laboratory; its owner and employees; and BLS’s referring physicians recently reached another milestone.
News & Press
2017 Health Care Enforcement Review: FCA Case Law
January 17, 2018 | Law360
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.
People in the Law
August 17, 2017 | Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
Brian Dunphy, a Health Law and Litigation Member in the Mintz Boston office, was featured in a Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly article about his appointment to the Boston Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project’s Board of Directors.
Mintz Promotes Five Attorneys to Member
May 26, 2017
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.
Health Care Enforcement Review And 2017 Outlook: Part 4
January 19, 2017
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.
Eighty-Four Mintz Attorneys Named 2016 Massachusetts Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
October 18, 2016
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.
The Medicare Overpayment Rule: Implications for Compliance and Health Care Enforcement
February 26, 2016
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.
CMS Relaxes 60-Day Overpayment Rule Requirements: 5 Things to Know
February 11, 2016
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.
Events
Speaker
Jan
31
2018