T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d byN i nth C i r c ui tR ul e 36- 3.

T he H onor abl e K e nne th F . R i ppl e , S e ni orU ni t e d S t a t e s C i r c ui tJ udge ** f orthe S e ve nth C i r c ui t , s i tt i ng byde s i gna t i on. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T TH E U N I TED STA TES O F A M ERI CA ex re l . and S T A T E O F C A L IF O RN IA ex r e l . STA N LEY D . M O SLER, P l ai n t i ffs - A p p el l an t s, v. C IT Y O F L O S A N G E L E S , a m un i ci pal c o rp o r a tio n , e tc .; e t a l., D efen d an t s - A p p el l ees. N o. 09- 56040 D . C. N o . 2 : 0 2 - c v - 0 2 2 7 8 - SJ O - RZ ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e C e n tr a l D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia S . J a m e s O t e r o, D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d N ove m be r5, 2010

P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: P R E G E R S O N , R IP P L E , an dG R A B E R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. ** R e l a t orS t a nl e yM os l e r , s ui ng on be ha l f of the U ni t e d S t a t e s , appe a l s the di stri ctcourt ’ s di sm i ss al of hi s qui t am ac t i on . O n d e nov o revi ew , U ni t ed S t at es 

# FI LED DE C 22 2010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

e x r e l . Af

l a t o o n i v . Ki t s ap P h y s i c i a n s S e rv s . , 1 6 3 F . 3 d5 1 6 , 5 2 0 ( 9 th C i r . 1 9 9 9 ) , we a f f i rm. U nd erthe F al se C l ai m s A ct , a c ou rtl ac ks subj ec tm att erj uri sdi ct i on ov er a nyqui t a m a c t i on " ba s e d upon the publ i c di s c l os ur e of a l l e ga t i ons ortr a ns a c t i ons i n ac r i m i na l , c i vi l , ora dm i ni s tr a t i ve he a r i ng" ; i n va r i ous ki nds of gove rnm e nt a l or ad m i n i strat i v e rep o rt s, h eari n g s, o r i n v est i g at i o n s; o r i n "th e n ew s m ed i a"; u n l ess th e r e l a t o ri s th e " o r i g i n a l s o u r c e " o f th e p u b l i c l yd i s c l o s e di n f o rma t i o n . 3 1 U . S. C. § 3730( e ) ( 4) ( 2002) . T he C a l i f orni aa na l ogue i s ne a r l yi de nt i c a l . C a l . G ov’ tC ode § 1 2 6 5 2 ( d ) ( 3 ) . F o rth a t r e a s o n , C a lif o rn iac o u rts lo o kto f

e d e r a l d e c is io n s to i nt e rpr e tthe publ i c di s c l os ur e pr ovi s i on of the s t a t e s t a tut e . S t a t e e x r e l . B ow e n v. B ank o f A m . C orp. , 23 C al . Rptr. 3d 74 6, 75 8 n . 11 (C t . A pp . 20 05 ). T he al l egat i on s und er l yi ng R el at or’ s c om pl ai ntw er e pub l i cl y di sc l osed b efo re h e fi l ed su i ti n 2 0 0 2 , i n tw o w ays. F i rst , R el at o r’ s w ri tt en t est i m o n y, subm i tt ed du ri ng a 200 1 p ub l i c heari ng of the A rm y C orps of E ng i neer s, cont ai ned s e c tio n s e n title d" P o rt B r e a c h e dA g r e e m e n t w ith F e d e r a l G o v e rn m e n t a n dP e o p le of C al i forni a by C on vert i ng P i er40 0 t o M ega- cont ai ner T erm i nal " and "T he C ov er U p. " T ho se se ct i on s l ayou tal l egat i on s s ub st ant i al l y s i m i l art o tho se cont ai ned w i thi n R el at or’ s c om pl ai nt . S ec on d, an art i cl e i n R ando m L engths N ew s, dat ed3

J a nua ry3, 2002, quot e d R e l a t ora nd r e port e d e s s e nt i a l l ythe s a m e a l l e ga t i ons on th e p arto f "o u trag ed " l o cal resi d en t s. R e l a t orw a s notthe or i gi na l s our c e of a nyof the i nf orm a t i on di s c l os e d, unde rthe s t a nda r d e xpl a i ne d i n W a ng e x r e l . U ni t e d S t a t e s v. F M C C orp. , 975 F . 2d 1412, 1417 ( 9th C i r . 1992) . H i s know l e dge of the a l l e ge dl yf

r audul e nt tr a ns a c t i ons w a s ne i the rdi r e c tnori nde pe nde ntof the publ i c di s c l os ur e s . T he d istrict co u rt fo u n dth at R elato r r elied o n n ew sp ap erar ti cles re p o rtin g P ier 4 0 0 ’s ch an g e i n u se. T h e d i stri ctco u rtal so fo u n dth at , i n fo rm u l at i n g h i s al l eg at i o n s, R el at or re l i ed on do cum ent s he obt ai ned from the P ortand the L os A ng el es D is tr ic t O f

f ic e o f th e A rm yC o rp s o f

E n g in e e r s . T h o s e f

in d in g s a r e n o t c le a r ly erroneou s. S ee U ni t ed S t at es ex re l . B i dd l e v. B d. of T rs . of L el and S t anford, Jr . U ni v. , 16 1 F . 3d 53 3, 53 5 (9th C i r. 19 98 ) ( no t i ng thatw e r evi ew for c l ear e rr or a fi nd i ng of fa ctre l evantt o the det erm i nat i on of subj ec tm att erj uri sdi ct i on ). I n s um m a ry , the di s tr i c tc ourtl a c ke d s ubj e c tm a tt e rj ur i s di c t i on be c aus e the al l egat i on s und er l yi ng the com pl ai ntw er e pub l i cl y di sc l osed before Rel at or fi l ed s u it a n db e c au s e R e la to ris n o t th e o r ig in a l s o u r c e o f th e r e le v an t in f

o rm a tio n . A c c or di ngl y , the di s tr i c tc ourtpr ope r l ydi s m i s s e d thi s qui t a m a c t i on. AF F I R ME D.