Allison Engine Co. v. United States ex rel. Sanders

Allison Engine Co. v. United States ex rel. Sanders
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued February 26, 2008
Decided June 9, 2008
Full case nameAllison Engine Co., Inc., et al., v. United States ex rel. Roger L. Sanders and Roger L. Thacker
Docket no.07-214
Citations553 U.S. 662 (more)
128 S. Ct. 2123; 170 L. Ed. 2d 1030
Case history
PriorUnited States ex rel. Sanders v. Allison Engine Co., 471 F.3d 610 (6th Cir. 2006)
SubsequentLaw amended by Congress in 2009 with the effect of reversing the decision
Holding
Plaintiffs under the False Claims Act must demonstrate that the defendants intended to deceive the government, not simply that government money was used to pay the claim. Decision of the appeals court vacated and case remanded.
Court membership
Chief Justice
John Roberts
Associate Justices
John P. Stevens · Antonin Scalia
Anthony Kennedy · David Souter
Clarence Thomas · Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Stephen Breyer · Samuel Alito
Case opinion
MajorityAlito, joined by unanimous
Laws applied
False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3729
Superseded by
Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009

Allison Engine Co. v. United States ex rel. Sanders, 553 U.S. 662 (2008), was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States holding that plaintiffs under the False Claims Act must prove that the false claim was made with the specific intent of inducing the government to pay or approve payment of a false or fraudulent claim, rather than merely defrauding a contractor.[1] Congress overruled this decision with the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009.[2]

  1. ^ Allison Engine Co. v. United States ex rel. Sanders, 553 U.S. 662 (2008).
  2. ^ Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009, Pub. L. 111–21 (text) (PDF), S. 386, 123 Stat. 1617, enacted May 20, 2009.