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Intentional Low Bid Is Not A False Claim

Client Alert | 1 min read | 02.26.04

In U.S. ex rel. Bettis v. Odebrecht Contractors of Cal. (Jan. 28, 2004), the D.C. federal district court granted summary judgment in the contractor's favor, rejecting numerous False Claims Act allegations, including, most notably, the relator’s theory that the contractor had fraudulently induced the government to enter into a construction contract by intentionally underbidding for the project, while allegedly planning to submit false changes claims during performance. While expressly recognizing that false estimates could be the basis of an actionable false claim, the court ruled that the mere knowing submission of an unreasonably low bid (at least in the absence of any subsequent illegitimate request for adjustment) did not, by itself, cause the government to pay out funds to which the contractor was not entitled.

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Client Alert | 4 min read | 03.25.26

NAIC Intensifies AI Regulatory Focus: What Health Insurance Payors Need to Know

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is intensifying its oversight of how insurers use AI — and the pace of regulatory activity shows no signs of slowing. Over the past several months, the NAIC has published a formal Issue Brief staking out its position on federal AI legislation, launched a multistate AI Evaluation Tool pilot aimed at examining insurers’ AI governance programs, and continued to expand adoption of its AI Model Bulletin across state lines. These developments continue a trend towards enhancing regulation; the NAIC adopted AI Principles in 2020 and a Model Bulletin in 2023 clarifying that existing insurance laws apply to AI systems and establishing expectations for governance, documentation, testing, and third-party oversight. That Model Bulletin has now been adopted in approximately 24 states....