The Rise of Government Action Against the Individual

A year has passed since Judge Roger Titus in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland granted a judgment of acquittal for Lauren Stevens, the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) lawyer accused of obstruction of justice for her handling of the response to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) letter request. Now is an opportune time to step back and consider whether the Stevens prosecution was an aberration or whether it fits into a broader pattern of the federal government’s increased focus on individual responsibility as a means of deterring wrongdoing. Below we discuss other recent enforcement actions by the government against individuals, the lessons to be learned, and suggestions for how to avoid having your name unwillingly appear in print. To keep reading, download the full article.