Amy Richardson Speaks on Federal Communications Bar Association Panel Regarding Tolling Agreements, Consent Decrees and Other Mileposts Along the Enforcement Highway

Ellis & Winters

Ellis & Winters lawyer Amy Richardson recently spoke at a Federal Communications Bar Association event in Washington, D.C. At the December 11th event, experts from private practice and regulatory agencies reviewed key enforcement basics. The event had a special focus on issues encountered by practitioners in investigations, including those relating to tolling agreements and consent decrees. Ms. Richardson educated attendees on how to approach an agency about a consent decree, the option of litigating in federal district court, and potential False Claim Act actions lurking behind the federal investigation. The False Claims Act is a long-standing, powerful, and very popular statute that qui tam relators and the Federal government can bring against parties to recover money wrongly taken from (or denied to) federal programs. A defendant who takes a False Claims Act case to trial and loses can face liability of three times the government’s damages plus attorney’s fees. Recent cases have expanded the definition of federal programs.

Amy Richardson is a member of the litigation team at Ellis & Winters where she specializes in complex civil litigation, criminal defense, governmental enforcement actions, and regulatory litigation. Ms. Richardson has eleven years of legal experience working adversely or cooperatively with a wide variety of enforcement authorities including U.S. Attorneys’ offices, the U.S. Justice Department, the U.S. Congress, the New York Attorney General, the SEC, DOD, FCC, and FHFA.