[PART II

[PART II.] QUI TAM ACTIONS OR RECOVERY OF

FALSE CLAIMS TO THE STATE

[§661-21] Actions for false claims to the State; qui tam actions. (a) Notwithstanding section 661-7 to the contrary, any person who:

(1) Knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, to an officer or employee of the State a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval;

(2) Knowingly makes, uses, or causes to be made or used, a false record or statement to get a false or fraudulent claim paid or approved by the State;

(3) Conspires to defraud the State by getting a false or fraudulent claim allowed or paid;

(4) Has possession, custody, or control of property or money used, or to be used, by the State and, intending to defraud the State or wilfully to conceal the property, delivers, or causes to be delivered, less property than the amount for which the person receives a certificate or receipt;

(5) Is authorized to make or deliver a document certifying receipt of property used, or to be used by the State and, intending to defraud the State, makes or delivers the receipt without completely knowing that the information on the receipt is true;

(6) Knowingly buys, or receives as a pledge of an obligation or debt, public property from any officer or employee of the State who may not lawfully sell or pledge the property;

(7) Knowingly makes, uses, or causes to be made or used, a false record or statement to conceal, avoid, or decrease an obligation to pay or transmit money or property to the State; or

(8) Is a beneficiary of an inadvertent submission of a false claim to the State, who subsequently discovers the falsity of the claim, and fails to disclose the false claim to the State within a reasonable time after discovery of the false claim;

shall be liable to the State for a civil penalty of not less than $5,000 and not more than $10,000, plus three times the amount of damages that the State sustains due to the act of that person.

(b) If the court finds that a person who has violated subsection (a):

(1) Furnished officials of the State responsible for investigating false claims violations with all information known to the person about the violation within thirty days after the date on which the defendant first obtained the information;

(2) Fully cooperated with any state investigation of such violation; and

(3) At the time the person furnished the State with the information about the violation, no criminal prosecution, civil action, or administrative action had commenced under this title with respect to such violation, and the person did not have actual knowledge of the existence of an investigation into such violation;

the court may assess not less than two times the amount of damages that the State sustains because of the act of the person. A person violating subsection (a), shall also be liable to the State for the costs and attorneys' fees of a civil action brought to recover the penalty or damages.

(d) This section shall not apply to any controversy involving an amount of less than $500 in value. For purposes of this subsection, "controversy" means the aggregate of any one or more false claims submitted by the same person in violation of this [part]. Proof of specific intent to defraud is not required.

(e) For purposes of this section:

"Claim" includes any request or demand, whether under a contract or otherwise, for money or property that is made to a contractor, grantee, or other recipient if the State provides any portion of the money or property that is requested or demanded, or if the government will reimburse the contractor, grantee, or other recipient for any portion of the money or property that is requested or demanded.

"Knowing" and "knowingly" means that a person, with respect to information:

(1) Has actual knowledge of the information;

(2) Acts in deliberate ignorance of the truth or falsity of the information; or

(3) Acts in reckless disregard of the truth or falsity of the information;

and no proof of specific intent to defraud is required.

(f) This section shall not apply to claims, records, or statements for which procedures and remedies are otherwise specifically provided for under chapter 231. [L 2000, c 126, pt of §1]