Katherine C. Cooper

Katherine Cooper is a litigation partner in the firm.  Her practice focuses on complex and high-stakes litigation in trial and appellate courts, and in international arbitration.  She also has experience before federal agencies.  Ms. Cooper has particular expertise in False Claims Act and health care litigation, complex commercial disputes, employment litigation, telecommunications, appellate litigation, and securities litigation.  She has presented oral argument in a U.S. Court of Appeals, has drafted merits briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court, has argued in state and federal trial courts and before arbitral tribunals, and has represented clients in depositions and discovery.

Before joining Kellogg Hansen in 2015, Ms. Cooper was a law clerk to the Honorable Allyson K. Duncan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.  Ms. Cooper graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School.  She also holds a B.A. in Public Policy from Duke University.

Noteworthy Representations

United States ex rel. Scott v. Humana Inc., No. 3:18-cv-00061 (W.D. Ky.)
Currently representing the relator in a federal False Claims Act case alleging that Humana intentionally overstated the value of its Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan (“PDP”) when bidding for Part D contracts. 

Shawlawn Beckford v. Mark T. Esper, No. 1:18-CV-01294 (E.D. Va.)
Successfully reached a significant settlement agreement with the United States Department of the Army in connection with Title VII claims brought against Secretary Mark T. Esper by an active duty veteran and a current civilian employee of the Army.

National Credit Union Administration
Represented the National Credit Union Administration as liquidating agent in a series of lawsuits against major financial institutions regarding the sale of residential mortgage-backed securities.  The suits were filed in three federal district courts and generated multiple appeals to three Courts of Appeals.  Each suit was resolved prior to trial, with defendants in three suits offering judgment for the full damage demand plus attorneys’ fees. More than $5.1 billion has been recovered.

Comptel v. Fed. Commc'ns Comm'n, 978 F.3d 1325 (D.C. Cir. 2020)
Successfully argued on behalf of USTelecom as intervenor in support of the Federal Communications Commission.

Universal Health Servs. v. United States ex rel. Escobar, 136 S. Ct. 1989 (2016)
Successfully represented the relators in Universal Health Services, which affirmed the “implied false certification” theory of liability under the False Claims Act.  

Publications

Co-Author, Predictable Materiality:  A Need for Common Criteria Governing the Disclosure of Clinical Trial Results by Publicly-Traded Pharmaceutical Companies, 29 J. Contemp. Health L. & Pol’y 201 (2013)

Co-Author, Deadly Experiments:  Imposing Discipline on New, Untested Lethal Injection Protocols, Florida Defender (Spring 2014)

Co-Author, Summary of Fraud and Abuse Statutes & Regulations:  North Carolina, The American Health Lawyers Association’s Fraud and Abuse Practice Group (Aug. 21, 2014)