United States v. Record Press, Inc.

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Relator filed a qui tam action under the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. 3729-3733, contending that Record Press had submitted a fraudulent bill for printing services to the government. The district court granted judgment for Record Press. The court affirmed the district court's conclusion because there was no evidence that Record Press had submitted any false claims with knowledge it was doing so, as would be required for liability under the Act. In this case, the district court properly considered testimony and evidence indicating that the government agreed with Record Press about the disputed contract rate. Further, the district court did not consider the government’s understanding of the contract as part of any defense. Rather, it relied on the government’s agreement with Record Press about the proper understanding of the contract as evidence that there had been no fraudulent behavior in the first place. The court remanded for further proceedings on Record Press’s motion for attorneys’ fees because the district court did not make the findings necessary to enable the court to review its grounds for denying a fee award. View "United States v. Record Press, Inc." on Justia Law