Victor A. Walton, Jr.

Victor is a partner in the Vorys Cincinnati office and a member of the litigation group.  His practice focuses on business counseling and commercial litigation.  He has significant experience defending government contractors and health care entities in proceedings brought under the False Claims Act (FCA) by the government or whistleblowers.  Victor's work includes complex litigation, including defense of financial institutions and corporations in commercial disputes including multiple class action defense in accounting, consumer, employment and commercial class actions.  He has considerable experience in health care, pharmaceutical, lender liability, probate, estate and fiduciary, and construction litigation and represents a broad array of clients in civil, criminal and regulatory government investigations as well as conducting corporate internal investigations.

Career highlights include:

• Successfully defending government defense contractors in False Claims Act trials against qui tam relators
• Represented numerous health care entities in False Claims Act cases based on alleged Stark Act and Anti-Kickback Statute violations
• Successful defense of bank trustees for breach of fiduciary duty claims
• Counseling DME, pharmaceutical start-ups and food producers on applicable Medicare, FDA and USDA regulations
• Defending financial institutions in lender liability actions
• Represented numerous corporations and their employees in Department of Justice and HHS-OIG investigations and grand jury proceedings
• Successfully defending a company in a six-week, multimillion dollar federal environmental criminal trial
• Obtained numerous non-intervention decisions by the Department of Justice for federal contractors in False Claims Act qui tam cases
• Successfully represented client in a unanimous United States Supreme Court decision, Allison Engine Co., Inc. v. United States ex rel. Sanders, narrowing the scope of liability under the federal False Claims Act
• Defended financial institutions in nationwide consumer and privacy class actions

Victor is a member of the American Bar Association and the Cincinnati Bar Association.

Victor has spoken on numerous occasions on the False Claims Act, internal investigations, health care law and whistleblower lawsuits to health care and government contractor industry groups and trade associations, including the Ohio Hospital Association.

Victor received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.S.F.S. from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

Honors & Recognitions

The Best Lawyers in America, Litigation – Banking and Finance "Lawyer of the Year," 2015, 2017

The Best Lawyers in America, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), 2023-2025; Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law, 2022-2025; Commercial Litigation, 2010-2025; Litigation – Banking and Finance, 2015-2025; Litigation – Labor and Employment, 2015-2025; Qui Tam Law, 2023

Ohio Super Lawyers, Business Litigation, 2005-2006, 2009-2024

Leading Lawyer in Business Litigation, Cincy Magazine, 2008-2014, 2017-2024

Martindale-Hubbell AV Peer Review Rated

Professional & Community Activities

Hamilton County Public Defender’s Commission, Commissioner, 2019 to present

University of Cincinnati College of Law, Adjunct Professor, 2024 to present

Cincinnati Bar Admissions Committee, Chair, 2006-2007

Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Legal Compliance Committee, Chair, 2004-2012

Children's International Summer Village, 2009-2016