Dish Network Defeats Whistleblower’s Shell Company Fraud Suit

A whistleblower can’t proceed with claims that Dish Network defrauded the government by using shell companies to improperly secure spectrum license discounts because the lawsuit is based on a Federal Communications Commission proceeding, a federal judge in Washington ruled Tuesday.

Vermont National Telephone Co.'s case is precluded under the False Claims Act’s government-action rule that bars lawsuits based upon allegations in the which the government is already a party, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said.

A proceeding involving the FCC began on May 11, 2015, when a Vermont Telephone subsidiary filed petitions ...