Jul 222019
D.C. Circuit Rejects Expansive Theory of FCA Liability Predicated on Failure to Pay an Unassessed Penalty
On July 5, 2019, the D.C. Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a qui tam lawsuit against several chemical manufacturers alleging that they violated the False Claims Act by failing to pay civil penalties owed under the Toxic Substances Control Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 2601 (1976) (“TSCA”) for the manufacturers’ repeated failures to report “information regarding the dangers of isocyanate chemicals” to the EPA. The law firm Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, which is the relator in the case, urged the D.C. Circuit “to become the first court to recognize FCA liability based on the defendants’ failure to meet a TSCA reporting requirement and on their failure to pay an unassessed TSCA penalty.” The D.C. Circuit declined that invitation.