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.