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Defendant’s Reasonable Interpretation of Ambiguous Regulation Negates FCA Liability

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 12.01.15

The D.C. Circuit overturned a jury verdict against MWI Corp., represented by C&M, in a long-running civil FCA suit in which the government asserted claims for approximately $225 million in trebled damages (plus additional civil penalties), alleging that false claims and statements were submitted to the Export-Import Bank in connection with eight loans to Nigeria for the purchase of MWI's water pumps. The court held that there was no evidence that the government "had officially warned MWI away from its otherwise facially reasonable interpretation of [an] undefined and ambiguous [regulatory] term" and ruled that, in such a situation, the FCA's knowledge/scienter element cannot be established.


Insights

Client Alert | 7 min read | 11.02.26

DOL Finalizes PBM Fee Disclosure Requirements

On October 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) issued a 350-page final rule requiring providers of pharmacy benefit management services and their affiliated brokers and consultants to disclose fees and compensation received to fiduciaries of covered large, self-insured ERISA group health plans. According to DOL’s accompanying fact sheet, the disclosures will give employers more visibility into the payments PBMs may receive from various sources and help fiduciaries evaluate and monitor arrangements over time. ...