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What is a “false claim?

The False Claims Act is intended to cover "every variety of false or misleading claims made against the Government." No specific false statement is required for a false claim to exist and the law to be violated. A simple denial of wrongdoing is enough.

A contractor who knowingly fails to fulfill a requirement of its Government contract, but seeks payment as if it had fully performed the contract and without disclosing that it did not comply with the contract terms, has presented a false claim.

A contractor's demand for payment implicitly represents compliance with contract terms, even though the bill to the Government may not actually recite that the contract terms have been fulfilled, nor provide any other representations as to quality.

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