RELEASE: TAF Applauds Unanimous Supreme Court Decision Upholding False Claims Act
WASHINGTON – The Anti-Fraud Coalition (TAF Coalition) applauds the unanimous Supreme Court decision in Supervalu, which upholds the knowledge standard in the False Claims Act. Specifically, the Court held that the False Claims Act’s knowledge element is based on the defendants’ knowledge and subjective beliefs and not on what a fictitious objectively reasonable person may have known or believed.
The Supervalu decision can be found online here.
“Today’s unanimous decision is a victory for whistleblowers and holding fraudsters to account,” said Jeb White, President of TAF Coalition. “When Congress passed the False Claims Act more than 160 years ago, it set forth clear knowledge standards and we are overjoyed the Supreme Court reaffirmed the law.”
Earlier this year, TAF Coalition filed an amicus brief in this case, detailing the threat Supervalu posed to the enforcement of the government’s ability to protect taxpayer dollars from fraud. Recoveries from False Claims Act settlements and judgments since 1986, when Congress substantially strengthened the law, total more than $72 billion.
For more information on this topic, please contact Jeb White at [email protected].
The Anti-Fraud Coalition is a nonprofit public interest organization dedicated to combating fraud against the government and protecting public resources through public-private partnerships. TAF Coalition is committed to preserving effective anti-fraud legislation at the federal and state levels. The organization has worked to publicize the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act (“FCA”), regularly participates in litigation as amicus curiae, and has provided testimony to Congress about ways to improve the FCA. TAF Coalition is supported by whistleblowers and their counsel, by membership dues and fees, and by private donations. TAF Coalition is the 501(c)(3) arm of Taxpayers Against Fraud, which was founded in 1986.
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