December 01, 2009
The U. S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on November 30 in the case of Graham County Soil & Water Conservation District v United States ex rel Wilson.
The question before the court concerns the False Claims Act’s public disclosure bar, 31 USC § 3730(e)(4)(A), which bars suits based on public disclosures “in a criminal, civil or administrative hearing, in a congressional, administrative, or [GAO] report, hearing, audit, or investigation, or from the news media.” The Fourth Circuit had held that the language refered to federal reports, audits or investigations and not those of state or local governments.
The briefs submitted in the suit are available at the ABA website.