Morse Diesel International, Inc. v. United States

79 Fed. Cl. 116, 2007 U.S. Claims LEXIS 347
United States Court of Federal Claims·Decided October 31, 2007·No. No. 99-279C·Published·Cited by 19 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER GRANTING THE GOVERNMENT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT FOR CIVIL PENALTIES UNDER THE ANTI-KICKBACK ACT AND CIVIL PENALTIES AND TREBLE DAMAGES UNDER THE FALSE CLAIMS ACT.

BRADEN, Judge.

The court has determined that the circumstances of this case warrant maximum civil penalties and damages under the Anti-Kickback Act of 1986, 41 U.S.C. §§ 51-58 (“Anti-Kickback Act”) and maximum civil penalties and treble damages under the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3729(a)(1), (a)(2) (“False Claims Act”) in the total amount of $7,292,213.

1. RELEVANT BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY.1

Between 1994 and 1995, Morse Diesel International, Inc., d/b/a AMEC Construction Management, Inc. (“Plaintiff”),2 was awarded four federal construction contracts by the General Services Administration (“GSA”): Phase I of the Thomas F. Eagleton Federal Courthouse in St. Louis (“St. Louis Phase I Contract”), on July 5, 1994; Phase II of the Eagleton Courthouse in St. Louis, on September 28, 1995 (“St. Louis Phase II Contract”); the U.S. Customs House in San Francisco, on February 15, 1995 (“San Fran[118]*118cisco Contract”); and the Federal Courthouse in Sacramento, on July 19, 1995 (“Sacramento Contract”). See Morse Diesel I, 66 Fed.Cl. at 792; Morse Diesel II, 69 Fed.Cl. at 559-60; Morse Diesel III, 74 Fed.Cl. at 605-7. On April 9, 1998, Plaintiff submitted a certified claim to GSA in the amount of $467,659 arising from the St. Louis Phase II Contract. See Morse Diesel I, 66 Fed.Cl. at 791. On May 12, 1998, GSA issued a Final Decision denying Plaintiffs claim. Id. On May 5,1999, Plaintiff filed a Complaint in the United States Court of Federal Claims, the genesis of a consolidated case, now consisting of 15 actions initiated by Plaintiff under the Tucker Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1491 (“Tucker Act”) and the Contracts Disputes Act, 41 U.S.C. § 609(a) (“Contract Disputes Act”), and 9 counterclaims asserted by the Government under the Anti-Kickback Act, the False Claims Act, the Contract Disputes Act, 41 U.S.C. §§ 601-613, and Forfeiture of Fraud Claims Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2514 (“Forfeiture of Fraud Claims Act”), as well as common law claims. See Morse Diesel II, 69 Fed.Cl. at 560-62; Morse Diesel III, 74 Fed.Cl. at 602-04.

Central to the Government’s pending Motion For Summary Judgment on civil penalties under the Anti-Kickback Act and civil penalties and treble damages under the False Claims Act, is the court’s July 15, 2005 Memorandum Opinion granting the Government’s December 7, 2001 Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, determining that Plaintiffs progress payment application for performance and payment of bond premiums and certificates for all four federal contracts at issue violated the Anti-Kickback Act. See Morse Diesel I, 66 Fed.Cl. at 798-801. On January 26, 2007, the court re-affirmed and incorporated Morse Diesel I and entered an Order holding that the Government established, by clear and convincing evidence,3 that from at latest August 19, 1994 until at earliest December 12, 2000, Plaintiff engaged in conduct concerning the St. Louis Phase I Contract, St. Louis Phase II Contract, Sacramento Contract, and San Francisco Contract that violated the Anti-Kiekbaek Act. See Morse Diesel III, 74 Fed.Cl. at 622; see also Morse Diesel I, 66 Fed.Cl. at 798-801. In addition, the court determined that Plaintiff violated the False Claims Act on six occasions. See Morse Diesel IV, slip op. at 32-33.

On February 7, 2007, the Government filed a Motion for Reconsideration of Morse Diesel III. The next day, the court convened a telephone status conference and on February 8, 2007 the Government filed a Motion for Additional Relief and a Motion for Clarification and/or a Motion for Reconsideration. On February 9, 2007, the court filed an Order to clarify that there was no stay on discovery. On April 6, 2007, Plaintiff also filed a Motion for Clarification of Morse Diesel III and a Response to the Government’s February 7, 2007 Motion for Reconsideration and the Government’s February 8, 2007 Motions. On April 10, 2007, the court convened a telephone conference and entered a Scheduling Order. On April 30, 2007, the Government filed a Motion for Additional Relief, Response to Plaintiffs April 6, 2006 Motion, and a Reply to the Plaintiffs Response to the Government’s February 8, 2007 Motions. On May 14, 2007, Plaintiff filed a Response to the Government’s February 8, 2007 Motion for Additional Relief and a Reply in Support of Plaintiffs April 6, 2007 Request for Clarification.

On May 18, 2007, the Government filed a Motion for Summary Judgment for damages, pursuant to the court’s January 26, 2007 Memorandum Decision and Order, together with Proposed Findings of Uncontroverted Fact. See RCFC 56(b). On May 24, 2007, the Government filed a Reply to Plaintiffs April 6, 2006 Response to the Government’s February 8, 2007 Motion for Additional Relief. On June 15, 2007, Plaintiff filed an Opposition to the Government’s Motion for Summary Judgment and a Response to the Government’s Proposed Findings of Uncon-troverted Fact. On June 20, 2007, Plaintiff filed a Motion for Leave to File a Document Under Seal. On June 22, 2007, the court held a telephone status conference and issued an [119]*119Order granting Plaintiffs June 20, 2007 Motion for Leave to File Sealed Documents and a revised Scheduling Order. On June 29, 2007, the court issued a Memorandum Opinion and Order: granting-in-part and denying-in-part the Government’s February 7, 2007 Motion for Reconsideration; granting the Government’s February 8, 2007 Motion for Clarification and/or Motion for Reconsideration; denying the Government’s February 8, 2007 Motion for Additional Relief; granting-in-part and denying-in-part Plaintiffs April 6, 2007 Request for Clarification; and denying the Government’s April 30, 2007 Motion for Additional Relief. See Morse Diesel Int’l v. United States, No. 99-279C (Fed.Cl. June 29, 2007) (order) and Morse Diesel IV, revised to incorporate the court’s corrections, clarifications, and additional rulings in the June 29, 2007 Order.

On July 9, 2007, the court convened another telephone status conference. On July 20, 2007 the Government filed a Reply to the May 18, 2007 Motion for Summary Judgment, together with a Separate Appendix For A Protective Order Regarding Plaintiffs Notice of Deposition of a GSA auditor, Mr. John Walsh. On August 6, 2007, Plaintiff filed: a Motion to Compel; Continuation of Deposition of Mr. John Walsh; Production of Documents; and a Memorandum in Support.

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Morse Diesel International, Inc. v. United States, 79 Fed. Cl. 116, 2007 U.S. Claims LEXIS 347 (uscfc 2007).

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