Justices Reject Narrow Reading of Government Fraud Claims (1)

The US Supreme Court ruled against Wisconsin Bell in its bid to avoid a whistleblower suit that accuses it of submitting false claims for reimbursement to a government program that subsidizes the internet for schools and libraries.

In a unanimous decision Friday, the court rejected the telecommunications provider’s claim that its reimbursement requests can never qualify as claims under the False Claims Act because the program money comes from private carriers and is handled by a private corporation.

Writing for the court, Justice Elena Kagan said the Federal Communications Commission’s E-rate program reimbursements at issue are “claims” under the ...