Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly has sent demand letters to contractors involved in the Boston area highway project known as the Big Dig. In the letters the office demands $108 million in refunds for shoddy work.
Among the companies receiving the letters are Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, the manager of the project, and two dozen smaller design firms they supervised. The state will file a lawsuit if a settlement is not reached, according to the AG’s office.
The state’s settlement claim is based on tort and contract legal theories but the state has the option of proceeding under the Massachusetts False Claims Act, which can make a government contractor who accepts payment for substandard work liable for triple damages.
The Boston Globe of March 18, 2006 reported on the demand letters.