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Fourth Circuit Extends Time For Retaliation Claims

Client Alert | 1 min read | 05.10.04

In US ex rel Wilson v. Graham County Soil & Water Conserv. Dist. (4th Cir. April 29, 2004) (a 2-1 decision perhaps inviting en banc review) the 4th Circuit joined the 7th Circuit in holding that the 6-year statute of limitations contained in the False Claims Act also applies to retaliation claims brought under § 3730(h), even though the 6 years commences with the submission of a false claim, which, of course, necessarily precedes any act of retaliation. The majority rejected the 9th Circuit interpretation that limits the FCA limitation period to the substantive causes of action under § 3729 and for retaliation claims looks to the statute of limitations applicable to the most analogous state cause of action which, in this case, would have been North Carolina's 3 year period applicable to wrongful discharge.

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Client Alert | 3 min read | 04.25.24

JUST RELEASED: EPA’s Bold New Strategic Civil-Criminal Enforcement Collaboration Policy

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) just issued its new Strategic Civil-Criminal Enforcement Policy, setting the stage for the new manner in which the agency manages its pollution investigations. David M. Uhlmann, the head of OECA, signed the Policy memorandum on April 17, 2024, in order to ensure that EPA’s civil and criminal enforcement offices collaborate efficiently and consistently in cases across the nation. The Policy states, “EPA must exercise enforcement discretion reasonably when deciding whether a particular matter warrants criminal, civil, or administrative enforcement. Criminal enforcement should be reserved for the most egregious violations.” Uhlmann repeated this statement during a luncheon on April 23, 2024, while also emphasizing the new level of energy this collaborative effort has brought to the enforcement programs....