Williams Mullen's COVID-19 Comeback Plan: Preparing Today for Tomorrow's PPP Audit
The Situation: The False Claims Act ("FCA") imposes treble damages on defendants, as well as mandatory penalties per false claim. Because alleged false claims often involve much smaller amounts—for example, in cases with a...more
In the high-stakes realm of False Claims Act (FCA) litigation per-claim penalties can reach daunting levels that dwarf even treble damages. A recent ruling from the Eighth Circuit Court provides valuable guidance on the...more
On February 8, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota ruled that a $487 million False Claims Act (FCA) damages award entered last year against Precision Lens and its co-founder violated the Eighth Amendment’s...more
A defendant who violates the FCA can be liable for treble damages plus a civil penalty of $5,500 to $11,000 (adjusted for inflation) for each false claim. Meanwhile, FCA lawsuits often involve tens of thousands of alleged...more
The False Claims Act authorizes civil penalties between $10,781 to $21,563 per false claim, as well as three times the amount of damages which the government sustains (i.e. treble damages). The Eighth Amendment provides that...more
On June 30, 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced an interim final rule almost doubling per-claim penalties under the False Claims Act (“FCA”). The FCA still imposes treble damages for government losses in...more
On August 31, 2015, highway contractors Trinity Industries, Inc. and Trinity Highway Products, LLC (collectively, Trinity) appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit a $663,360,750 final judgment entered...more