September 8, 2026

Whistleblower Case Draws National Attention Following $2 Million Sanction

September 8, 2026

Whistleblower Case Draws National Attention Following $2 Million Sanction

Cannella Snyder partner Rob Snyder served as lead counsel for the whistleblowers in a closely watched False Claims Act case that has drawn national attention following a federal judge’s final order imposing a $2 million sanction on two of the law firms representing the company defendant. Multiple media sources have reported on the case following U.S. District Judge Marc T. Treadwell’s September 2026 order requiring Kirkland & Ellis and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom to pay $2 million as a sanction for their attorneys’ conduct during the litigation. The court said the funds will be used to promote instruction on ethics and professionalism at Georgia’s accredited law schools.

The September sanctions order is the final order entered in a long-running case that spanned eight years and included four sanctions for litigation misconduct. Following numerous briefs and two evidentiary hearings, the court struck a key defense expert, ordered payment of attorneys’ fees and costs, and ruled that it would enter a further monetary sanction against the defendant’s law firms at a later date. After the underlying case settled during trial in July, the court directed the law firms to propose an appropriate monetary sanction, which resulted in the $2 million consent order entered last week.

The case highlights the complexity of False Claims Act litigation and the persistence required to uncover evidence and pursue claims against major corporations represented by large law firms like Kirkland & Ellis and Skadden Arps. Cannella Snyder represents whistleblowers in False Claims Act cases as well as people who are seriously injured or killed in product liability, trucking, and other negligence cases.

The whistleblowers were also represented by Sachi Cole, Hannah Amanuel, and Chase Lyndale of Cannella Snyder, Brian Adams and Mary Beth Hand of Brian Adams Law, and Anna Cross, Meredith Kincaid, and Alyssa Baskam of Cross Kincaid Baskam.

Media Coverage