Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caDC-16-05039/USCOURTS-caDC-16-05039-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Joaquin Castro
Appellee
Michael Idrogo
Appellant

Document Text:

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT

____________

No. 16-5039 September Term, 2016

1:16-cv-00058-UNA

Filed On: September 30, 2016

Michael Idrogo,

Appellant

v.

Joaquin Castro,

Appellee

ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

BEFORE: Brown, Griffith, and Kavanaugh, Circuit Judges

J U D G M E N T

This appeal was considered on the record from the United States District Court

for the District of Columbia and on appellant’s brief. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); D.C.

Cir. Rule 34(j). It is

ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that the district court’s order filed January 13,

2016, be affirmed. The district court correctly held that pro se plaintiffs, such as

appellant, may not file a qui tam action pursuant to the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §

3729 et seq. See Segelstrom v. Citibank, N.A., 617 F. App’x 4 (D.C. Cir. 2015); see

also Georgakis v. Illinois State Univ., 722 F.3d 1075, 1077 (7th Cir. 2013) (“[T]o

maintain a suit on behalf of the government, the relator ... has to be either licensed as a

lawyer or represented by a lawyer....”); United States ex rel. Mergent Servs. v. Flaherty,

540 F.3d 89, 93 (2d Cir. 2008) (“the United States remains the real party in interest in

qui tam actions,” and “[b]ecause relators lack a personal interest in False Claims Act qui

tam actions, we conclude that they are not entitled to proceed pro se”) (internal

quotation marks omitted). 

Pursuant to D.C. Circuit Rule 36, this disposition will not be published. The Clerk

is directed to withhold issuance of the mandate herein until seven days after resolution

of any timely petition for rehearing or petition for rehearing en banc. See Fed. R. App.

P. 41(b); D.C. Cir. Rule 41.

Per Curiam

USCA Case #16-5039 Document #1638488 Filed: 09/30/2016 Page 1 of 1