Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_06-cv-03881/USCOURTS-cand-5_06-cv-03881-3/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 190
Nature of Suit: Other Contract Actions
Cause of Action: 31:3729 False Claims Act

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1 As of the date of this order, no response has been filed by defendants.

ORDER REGARDING UNITED STATES' POSITION ON DISMISSAL—C-06-03881 RMW

SPT

E-FILED on 11/20/06 

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SAN JOSE DIVISION

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ex rel

SCARLETT MCMASTERS,

Plaintiff,

v.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SHIP SYSTEMS,

INC., PHIL LOVLIEN,

Defendants.

No. C-06-03881 RMW

ORDER REGARDING UNITED STATES'

POSITION ON DISMISSAL

[Re: Docket No. 16] 

Plaintiff filed this qui tam action on behalf of the United States. The United States filed an

election not to intervene in the action. On October 6, 2006 the court granted defendants' motion to

dismiss with leave to amend. Because the parties had stipulated that defendant Phil Lovlien's

alleged acts were performed in the course of his employment and plaintiff agreed to dismiss Lovlien

from the action, the court dismissed plaintiff's claims against Lovlien with prejudice, and dismissed

Lovlien from the action. 

On November 6, 2006 the United States filed a request that any dismissal by this court in the

above-captioned action be without prejudice to the United States.1

 In particular, the government

notes that it has a continuing interest in the parts that defendant Northrop provides. A qui tam action

Case 5:06-cv-03881-RMW Document 17 Filed 11/20/06 Page 1 of 3
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ORDER REGARDING UNITED STATES' POSITION ON DISMISSAL—C-06-03881 RMW

SPT 2

"may be dismissed only if the court and the Attorney General give written consent to the dismissal

and their reasons for consenting." United States ex rel. McGough v. Covington Techs. Co., 967 F.2d

1391, 1397 (9th Cir. 1992) (quoting 31 U.S.C. § 3730(b)(1)). In United States ex rel. McGough, the

Ninth Circuit held that the district court's dismissal with prejudice of certain claims pursuant to

plaintiff's consent to voluntarily dismiss those claims was error because the government had not

consented to such dismissal. Id. The United States had earlier elected not to take over plaintiff's qui

tam action. The court nevertheless found that it was proper to permit the United States to intervene

for the purpose of appealing the district court's dismissal of claims with prejudice. Id. On appeal,

the United States requested that the dismissal of the claims be without prejudice. The Ninth Circuit

remanded with instructions to dismiss the claims without prejudice. Id. 

Here, there has similarly not been any written consent to dismiss the action or any parties by

the Attorney General. Under § 3730(b)(1), the government's election not to intervene in a qui tam

action does not equate to an agreement to dismiss a defendant with prejudice. See id. The

government requests that the dismissal of claims against Lovlien and the dismissal of Lovlien from

the action be without prejudice to the United States. The United States' request is hereby granted. 

The court clarifies that the dismissal of plaintiff's claims against defendant Lovlien and dismissal of

Lovlien from the present action is without prejudice to the United States.

DATED: 11/17/06

RONALD M. WHYTE

United States District Judge

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ORDER REGARDING UNITED STATES' POSITION ON DISMISSAL—C-06-03881 RMW

SPT 3

Notice of this document has been sent to:

Counsel for Plaintiff:

Scarlett McMasters (pro se)

2379 Halekoa Drive

Honolulu, Hawai'i 96821

William Fenton Sink

Law Offices of William Fenton Sink

Dillingham Transportation Building

735 Bishop Street, Ste. 420

Honolulu, HI 96813

Counsel for the United States:

Sara Winslow sara.winslow@usdoj.gov

Counsel for Defendants:

Brad D. Brian BrianBD@mto.com

Robert G. Klein

McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon LLP

Five Waterfront Plaza, Ste. 400

500 Ala Moana Blvd.

Honolulu, HI 96813

Counsel are responsible for distributing copies of this document to co-counsel that have not

registered for e-filing under the court's CM/ECF program.

Dated: 11/20/06 SPT

Chambers of Judge Whyte

Case 5:06-cv-03881-RMW Document 17 Filed 11/20/06 Page 3 of 3