FOIA Release Is FCA 'Public Disclosure'
Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 11.30.09
In U.S. ex rel. Ondis v. City of Woonsocket (1st Cir. Nov.18, 2009), the First Circuit concluded that, under the False Claims Act's public disclosure bar, courts lack subject-matter jurisdiction over qui tam actions when the relator's allegations are based upon information released through Freedom of Information Act requests, finding that FOIA releases of "substantially similar" information which include the essential elements of the alleged fraud qualify as public disclosures. The court noted that it was joining the majority view, adopted by every circuit to consider the issue except the Fourth, taking into account the recent shift by the Seventh Circuit to the majority.
Insights
Client Alert | 3 min read | 08.03.26
On July 20, 2026, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed the Forbidding the Algorithmic Inflation of Rent (FAIR) Act into law, making New Jersey the fourth state to regulate algorithmic rent-setting practices. Three days later, on July 23, 2026, Governor Sherrill signed the Fair Price Protection Act, which targets “surveillance pricing”—the practice of using or collecting personal data about a user and using an algorithm or artificial intelligence to charge different consumers different prices for the same products. Together, these laws represent a significant expansion of New Jersey's consumer protection framework in the algorithmic pricing context.
Client Alert | 6 min read | 08.03.26
The Pipe, Not the Posts: How Section 230’s Protections Extend to Generative AI Platforms
Client Alert | 4 min read | 07.31.26
Client Alert | 3 min read | 07.31.26
