Sixth Circuit Rejects “Fairyland” Definition of FCA Damages
The Sixth Circuit recently issued a strongly worded rebuke to the government in response to its proposition that “actual damages” in a FCA suit premised on wage underpayment equals the full amount of the government’s payment for the contractor’s services. See United States ex rel. Wall v. Circle C Constr., No. 14-6150 (6th Cir. Feb. 4, 2016). The defendant contractor—hired to build warehouses for the Army—had certified to compliance with certain laws and regulations, including one requiring payment of above-market wages. The contractor underpaid several employees by a total of $9,900, and the government argued that the contractor’s noncompliance “tainted” all of its claims, resulting in damages equal to the full amount the government paid for the services. Trebling these so-called damages yielded a total FCA damages award in excess of $750,000.
