Defendant’s Reasonable Interpretation of Ambiguous Regulation Negates FCA Liability
Client Alert | 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.
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Insights
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.06.25
Executive Branch Focus on Federally Funded Inventions
In recent months the executive branch has indicated a willingness to assert control over intellectual property funded by federal research dollars in novel ways. This could potentially include leveraging its march-in rights under the Bayh-Dole Act.
Client Alert | 2 min read | 11.06.25
Key Takeaways to the State Attorneys General - Election Day 2025
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.06.25
Supreme Court Oral Argument on Presidential Tariff Authority
Client Alert | 13 min read | 11.06.25

