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CFC Denies Fraud Counterclaims for Lack of Scienter

Client Alert | 1 min read | 05.08.13

In response to a contractor's CDA claim for the cancellation of two purchase orders for printed circuit cards when the contractor manufactured the parts itself rather than providing the parts from specified approved sources, the government in Ulysses, Inc. v. U.S. (Apr. 30, 2013), brought counterclaims for fraud under the False Claims Act, the fraud provision of the Contract Disputes Act, and the Forfeiture of Fraudulent Claims Act. The CFC denied them all, holding that the contractor did not act in reckless disregard of the truth or falsity of its claims because neither the RFQ nor the contractor's quotation leading to the purchase order specified a particular source and, therefore, its erroneous interpretation of the purchase orders "was not so implausible as to be frivolous" and because it had advised the government that it believed it was an approved source, "making this a classic case for application of the Government knowledge defense."


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Client Alert | 3 min read | 10.15.25

Clean Energy Project Developers Adapt Their Timelines and Strategies for Wind and Solar Projects Following Stricter Beginning of Construction Requirements and Expected IRS Enforcement Activity

On August 15, 2025, the Treasury Department and IRS released updated guidance concerning Beginning of Construction requirements to qualify for clean energy tax credits. This new guidance is critical for developers to consider as they rush to qualify for the tax credits before they expire entirely. The much-anticipated guidance followed the July 7, 2025 Executive Order 14315, Ending Market Distorting Subsidies for Unreliable, Foreign-Controlled Energy Sources (“July 7, 2025 Executive Order”), which signaled that the Trump Administration was planning to strictly enforce the termination of production and investment tax credits for solar and wind facilities that are set to expire under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB Act), covered in more detail here. The new guidance comes at a time when many in the industry are struggling to keep up with the myriad ways that the new administration is working to roll back wind and solar tax credits, leaving developers to piece through the recent guidance to determine how best to structure and invest in clean energy projects given the volatile position of the current administration vis-a-vis wind and solar energy....