George Bramblett in AmLaw Litigation Daily: Co-Counsel in FCA Win for Abbott Laboratories

When James Hurst moved from Winston & Strawn to Kirkland & Ellis in late 2014, he was dubbed “Biglaw’s $9 Million Man” for his reportedly enormous new salary.

The star life sciences litigator appears to be earning his keep. On Thursday, he and Kirkland partner Andrew Kassof co-led a trial team that delivered a blockbuster win on behalf of Abbott Laboratories in Dallas federal court, with George Bramblett of Haynes Boone as co-counsel.

With more than $1 billion on the line, Abbott was accused of violating the False Claims Act by submitting more than 35,000 improper claims to Medicare.

After a three-week trial, it took the jury just three hours to find for Abbott across the board.

For Hurst, who declined comment, the win follows a $94 million verdict on behalf of AbbVie Inc. against MedImmune LLC in September, and a successful patent challenge on behalf of Hospira Inc. against Merck & Co. in November.

 The case against Abbott began 10 years ago, when former Guidant Corp. sales rep Kevin Colquitt, at the time a Georgetown University Law Center student, accused the company of “pervasive off-label marketing schemes which have defrauded the federal and state governments.”

Colquitt’s whistleblower suit focused on bile duct stents, which are intended as short-term, palliative relief for people who have pancreatic or bile duct cancer, and who usually die within a year. Abbott acquired Guidant’s stent business in 2006.

Excerpted from the AmLaw Litigation Daily. To read the full article, please click here (subscription required).