On February 21, 2025, the Supreme Court unanimously held that requests for reimbursement from a privately administered fund qualified as “claims” under the False Claims Act (FCA) because the government “provide[d]” a “portion” of the fund’s money.1 This alert summarizes the decision in Wisconsin Bell, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Heath and its potential implications for other public-private programs.
Summary of the Opinion
The case involved the Education-Rate (E-Rate) program, which was established under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to subsidize internet and telecommunications services for schools and libraries across the United States.2 Under the...
A California fraudster who allegedly turned a taxpayer-funded health program into his personal cash machine is going away for three decades after pumping nearly $270 million in bogus claims into Me...