Yet another federal court has rejected a False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuit brought under an implied certification theory, finding that non-compliance with federal laws and regulations that are not express conditions of payment cannot form the grounds for a FCA suit. On March 31, 2016, the suit brought by two former employees of MD Helicopters, Inc. against their former employer, a retired Army Colonel was dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. In reaching this ruling, the court found that an implied certification FCA claim could not be premised on the violation of either a provision of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) titled ‘Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct’ (48 C.F.R. § 52.203-13) or the Truth in Negotiations Act (10 U.S.C. § 2306(a)).

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