Seventh Circuit Applies Offsets to FCA Damages Before Trebling
Client Alert | 1 min read | 03.22.13
In U.S. v. Anchor Mortgage Corp. (7th Cir. Mar. 21, 2013), Chief Judge Easterbrook held that, in calculating the damages to be trebled under the FCA, courts must use a "contract measure of loss" approach that would take into account any offsets for value or payments received by the government prior to trebling. The court read the Supreme Court's decision in U.S. v. Bornstein to require third-party payments to be subtracted after multiplying the damages only when such payments are not part of a "contract measure of loss" calculation, a limitation that could significantly reduce FCA damages in many contexts.
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Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.26.25
From ‘Second’ to ‘First:’ Federal Circuit Tackles Obvious Claim Errors
Patent claims must be clear and definite, as they set the boundaries of the patentee’s rights. Occasionally, however, claim language contains errors, such as typographical mistakes or incorrect numbering. Courts possess very limited authority to correct such errors. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has emphasized that judicial correction is appropriate only in rare circumstances, where (1) the error is evident from the face of the patent, and (2) the proposed correction is the sole reasonable interpretation in view of the claim language, specification, and prosecution history. See Group One, Ltd. v. Hallmark Cards, Inc., 407 F.3d 1297, 1303 (Fed. Cir. 2005) and Novo Indus., L.P. v. Micro Molds Corp., 350 F.3d 1348, 1357 (Fed. Cir. 2003).
Client Alert | 5 min read | 11.26.25
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.25.25
Brussels Court Clarifies the EU’s SPC Manufacturing Waiver Regulation Rules
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.24.25
