Joseph R. LoCascio

JOE LOCASCIO has extensive experience defending some of the world’s largest healthcare and life sciences companies in the most complex False Claims Act (FCA) investigations and litigation in state and federal courts nationwide, including the United States Supreme Court. Joe regularly publishes on the FCA.

Joe was part of the team that secured a complete defense verdict in U.S. ex rel. Siegel v. Novo Nordisk Inc., a long-running, high-stakes, high-profile FCA suit in which the State of Washington and a relator alleged that Novo, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturers, caused the submission of false claims via kickbacks and off-label promotion. The case marked only the third time in the last decade that a pharmaceutical company took an FCA case to trial — and is the only such case in which the jury did not give the plaintiffs a huge award. For his role in the case, Law360 named Joe a “Legal Lion of the Week” in 2025.

Joe also has deep experience in administrative litigation within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and under the Administrative Procedure Act. Joe was part of the team that convinced a federal court to vacate central regulations implementing the No Surprises Act.

Joe has been a key member of teams that obtained the following results:

• At summary judgment, complete dismissal with prejudice of all claims in Eastern District of Texas FCA suit against one of the world’s largest private equity firms.
• At the motion to dismiss stage, complete dismissal with prejudice of all claims in Northern District of California FCA suit against one the world’s largest pharmaceutical distributors.
• At the motion to dismiss stage, complete dismissal with prejudice of all claims in Northern District of Illinois FCA suit against one of the country’s largest clinical laboratories.
• At the demurrer stage, complete dismissal with prejudice of all claims in California state court false claims suit against one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical distributors.
• Favorable settlement, without any corporate integrity agreement, in an expansive FCA investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into one of the nation’s largest healthcare providers.
• Complete declination by the U.S. Department of Justice in substantial FCA investigation into one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical distributors.