Erica Hitchings

Erica Hitchings

Lecturer of Law

JD, Stanford Law School
BA, Dartmouth College

Biography

Erica Blachman Hitchings is a member of the Whistleblower Law Collaborative LLC where she represents in matters involving violations of the federal and state False Claims Acts as well as violations of laws regulating securities, taxes, commodities and futures, customs tariffs and duties, foreign practices, and the banking industry. Prior to joining the Whistleblower Law Collaborative LLC, Ms. Hitchings spent nine years in the US Department of Justice where she successfully investigated, litigated, and settled a wide range of False Claims Act cases.

Ms. Hitchings joined the Department of Justice as a member of the prestigious Attorney General’s Honors Program in 2009, after spending two years clerking for the Honorable Patti B. Saris, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She first served as a trial attorney in the Civil Fraud section in Washington, DC and then as an assistant US attorney in the Northern District of California. Over the course of her career at DOJ, Ms. Hitchings conducted dozens of healthcare, procurement, and other fraud investigations that resulted in the recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars by the United States.

In addition to her fraud enforcement work, as an assistant US attorney, Ms. Hitchings coordinated the civil rights enforcement program of her division and defended government agencies in an array of civil litigation, including administrative, constitutional, and environmental matters. She was also a member of the office’s diversity committee.

Ms. Hitchings has been a frequent speaker on topics of healthcare fraud and False Claims Act developments, and she designed a training curriculum that will boost the affirmative investigation and litigation skills of government attorneys throughout the country.

Ms. Hitchings was a member of the Dartmouth College women’s soccer team and spent four years prior to law school teaching history, coaching soccer and basketball, and serving as a social justice program coordinator for teens.

Profile Types
Faculty, JD Program, Lecturers & Adjunct Professors, and Part-Time Faculty
Areas of Interest
Risk Management and Compliance

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Activities & Engagements

No upcoming activities or engagements.

Courses

LAW JD 726

Health Care Fraud and Abuse

3 credits

This seminar will use a practical, case-study approach to some of the issues arising in the complex world of health care enforcement and compliance. With emphasis on the procedural mechanisms of the False Claims Act and the substantive law of the Anti-Kickback Act, the Stark I and II laws, the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, and the government's remedial authorities, the seminar will explore how prosecutors, defense attorneys, whistleblowers, and compliance officials inside health care companies approach their work and advise their clients. The seminar will explore the relationships between regulated industries (e.g., pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, doctors, medical device companies) and government insurance programs (e.g., Medicaid and Medicare), why these relationships generate billions of dollars every year in fraud, and how the interested constituencies are approaching these issues. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may not be used to satisfy the requirement. **A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.

SPRG 2027: LAW JD 726 A1, Jan 11th to Apr 21st 2027
Days Start End Credits Instructors Bldg Room
Tue 10:40 am 12:40 pm 3 Erica Hitchings