Source: https://www.bafirm.com/practice-areas/qui-tam-litigation/federal-state-county-and-city-acts/iowa-false-claims-act/
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 15:52:36+00:00

Document:
“Claim” means any request or demand, whether pursuant to a contract or otherwise, for money or property and whether the state has title to the money or property, which is presented to an officer, employee, agent, or other representative of the state or to a contractor, grantee, or other person if the money or property is to be spent or used on the state’s behalf or to advance a state program or interest, and if the state provides any portion of the money or property which is requested or demanded, or if the state will reimburse directly or indirectly such contractor, grantee, or other person for any portion of the money or property which is requested or demanded. “Claim” does not include any requests or demands for money or property that the state has paid to an individual as compensation for state employment or as an income subsidy with no restrictions on that individual’s use of the money or property.
“Custodian” means the custodian, or any deputy custodian, designated by the attorney general under section 685.6.
“Documentary material” includes the original or any copy of any book, record, report, memorandum, paper, communication, tabulation, chart, or other document, or data compilations stored in or accessible through computer or other information retrieval systems, together with instructions and all other materials necessary to use or interpret such data compilations, and any product of discovery.
“False claims law” means this chapter.
“False claims law investigation” means any inquiry conducted by a false claims law investigator for the purpose of ascertaining whether any person is or has been engaged in any violation of a false claims law.
“False claims law investigator” means any attorney or investigator employed by the department of justice who is charged with the duty of enforcing or carrying into effect any false claims law, or any officer or employee of the state acting under the direction and supervision of such attorney or investigator in connection with a false claims law investigation.
(3) Acts in reckless disregard of the truth or falsity of the information. b. “Knowing” or “knowingly” does not require proof of specific intent to defraud.
“Obligation” means an established duty, whether or not fixed, arising from an express or implied contractual, grantor-grantee, or licensor-licensee relationship, from a fee-based or similar relationship, from statute or regulation, or from the retention of any overpayment.
“Official use” means any use that is consistent with the law, and the regulations and policies of the department of justice, including use, in connection with internal department of justice memoranda and reports; communications between the department of justice and a federal, state, or local government agency or a contractor of a federal, state, or local government agency, undertaken in furtherance of a department of justice investigation or prosecution of a case; interviews of any qui tam plaintiff or other witness; oral examinations; depositions; preparation for and response to civil discovery requests; introduction into the record of a case or proceeding; applications, motions, memoranda and briefs submitted to a court or other tribunal; and communications with government investigators, auditors, consultants and experts, the counsel of other parties, and arbitrators and mediators, concerning an investigation, case, or proceeding.
“Original source” means an individual who prior to a public disclosure under section 685.3, subsection 5, paragraph “c”, has voluntarily disclosed to the state the information on which the allegations or transactions in a claim are based; or who has knowledge that is independent of and materially adds to the publicly disclosed allegations or transactions, and has voluntarily provided the information to the state before filing an action under this chapter.
“Person” means any natural person, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity, including any state or political subdivision of the state.
“Qui tam plaintiff” means a private plaintiff who brings an action under this chapter on behalf of the state.
“State” means the state of Iowa.
Added by Acts 2010 (83 G.A.) ch. 1031, S.F. 2088, § 338. Amended by Acts 2011 (84 G.A.) ch. 129, H.F. 649, §§ 100, 101, eff. July 26, 2011, retroactive to July 1, 2011.
A person violating this section shall also be liable to the state for the costs of a civil action brought to recover any such penalty or damages.
Any information furnished pursuant to subsection 2 is deemed confidential information exempt from disclosure pursuant to chapter 22.
This section shall not apply to claims, records, or statements made under Title X relating to state revenue and taxation.
Added by Acts 2010 (83 G.A.) ch. 1031, S.F. 2088, § 339. Amended by Acts 2011 (84 G.A.) ch. 129, H.F. 649, § 102, eff. July 26, 2011, retroactive to July 1, 2011.
The attorney general shall diligently investigate a violation under section 685.2. If the attorney general finds that a person has violated or is violating section 685.2, the attorney general may bring a civil action under this section against that person.
a. A person may bring a civil action for a violation of this chapter for the person and for the state, in the name of the state. The person bringing the action shall be referred to as the qui tam plaintiff. Once filed, the action may be dismissed only if the court and the attorney general provide written consent to the dismissal and the reasons for such consent.
a. If the state proceeds with the action, the state shall have the primary responsibility for prosecuting the action, and shall not be bound by an act of the qui tam plaintiff. Such qui tam plaintiff shall have the right to continue as a party to the action, subject to the limitations specified in paragraph “b”.
b. (1) The state may move to dismiss the action, notwithstanding the objections of the qui tam plaintiff if the qui tam plaintiff has been notified by the state of the filing of the motion and the court has provided the qui tam plaintiff with an opportunity for a hearing on the motion. (2) The state may settle the action with the defendant notwithstanding the objections of the qui tam plaintiff if the court determines, after a hearing, that the proposed settlement is fair, adequate, and reasonable under all of the circumstances. Upon a showing of good cause, such hearing may be held in camera. (3) Upon a showing by the state that unrestricted participation during the course of the litigation by the qui tam plaintiff would interfere with or unduly delay the state’s prosecution of the case, or would be repetitious, irrelevant, or for purposes of harassment, the court may, in its discretion, impose limitations on the qui tam plaintiff’s participation, including but not limited to any of the following: (a) Limiting the number of witnesses the qui tam plaintiff may call.
(d) Otherwise limiting the participation by the qui tam plaintiff in the litigation. (4) Upon a showing by the defendant that unrestricted participation during the course of the litigation by the qui tam plaintiff would be for purposes of harassment or would cause the defendant undue burden or unnecessary expense, the court may limit the participation by the qui tam plaintiff in the litigation. c. If the state elects not to proceed with the action, the qui tam plaintiff shall have the right to conduct the action. If the state so requests, the state shall be served with copies of all pleadings filed in the action and shall be supplied with copies of all deposition transcripts at the state’s expense. When a qui tam plaintiff proceeds with the action, the court, without limiting the status and rights of the qui tam plaintiff, may permit the state to intervene at a later date upon a showing of good cause.
a. (1) If the state proceeds with an action brought by a qui tam plaintiff under subsection 2, the qui tam plaintiff shall, subject to subparagraph (2), receive at least fifteen percent but not more than twenty-five percent of the proceeds of the action or settlement of the claim, depending upon the extent to which the qui tam plaintiff substantially contributed to the prosecution of the action. (2) If the action is one which the court finds to be based primarily on disclosures of specific information, other than information provided by the qui tam plaintiff, relating to allegations or transactions in a criminal, civil, or administrative hearing, or in a legislative, administrative or state auditor report, hearing, audit, or investigation, or from the news media, the court may award an amount the court considers appropriate, but in no case more than ten percent of the proceeds, taking into account the significance of the information and the role of the qui tam plaintiff in advancing the case to litigation. (3) Any payment to a qui tam plaintiff under subparagraph (1) or (2) shall be made from the proceeds. Any such qui tam plaintiff shall also receive an amount for reasonable expenses which the appropriate court finds to have been necessarily incurred, plus reasonable attorney fees and costs. All such expenses, fees, and costs shall be awarded against the defendant.
c. Whether or not the state proceeds with the action, if the court finds that the action was brought by a qui tam plaintiff who planned and initiated the violation of section 685.2 upon which the action was brought, the court may, to the extent the court considers appropriate, reduce the share of the proceeds of the action which the qui tam plaintiff would otherwise receive under paragraph “a” or “b”, taking into account the role of that qui tam plaintiff in advancing the case to litigation and any relevant circumstances pertaining to the violation. If the qui tam plaintiff is convicted of criminal conduct arising from the qui tam plaintiff’s role in the violation of section 685.2 the qui tam plaintiff shall be dismissed from the civil action and shall not receive any share of the proceeds of the action. Such dismissal shall not prejudice the right of the state to continue the action represented by the attorney general.
a. A court shall not have jurisdiction over an action brought by a former or present member of the Iowa national guard under this chapter against a member of the Iowa national guard arising out of such person’s services in the Iowa national guard.
a. Any employee, contractor, or agent shall be entitled to all relief necessary to make that employee, contractor, or agent whole, if that employee, contractor, or agent is discharged, demoted, suspended, threatened, harassed, or in any other manner discriminated against in the terms and conditions of employment because of lawful acts done by the employee, contractor, or agent or associated others in furtherance of an action under this section or other efforts to stop one or more violations of this chapter.
b. Relief under paragraph “a” shall include reinstatement with the same seniority status that employee, contractor, or agent would have had but for the discrimination, two times the amount of back pay, interest on the back pay, and compensation for any special damages sustained as a result of the discrimination, including litigation costs and reasonable attorney fees. An action under this subsection may be brought in the appropriate district court of the state for the relief provided in this subsection.
c. A civil action under this subsection shall not be brought more than three years after the date when the retaliation occurred.
Added by Acts 2010 (83 G.A.) ch. 1031, S.F. 2088, § 340. Amended by Acts 2011 (84 G.A.) ch. 129, H.F. 649, §§ 103, 104, eff. July 26, 2011, retroactive to July 1, 2011.
A subpoena requiring the attendance of a witness at a trial or hearing conducted under this chapter may be served at any place in the state, or through any means authorized in the Iowa rules of civil procedure.
A civil action under this chapter may not be brought more than six years after the date on which the violation of section 685.2 is committed, or more than three years after the date when facts material to the right of action are known or reasonably should have been known by the official of state charged with responsibility to act in the circumstances, but in no event more than ten years after the date on which the violation is committed, whichever occurs last.
If the state elects to intervene and proceed with an action brought under this chapter, the state may file its own complaint or amend the complaint of a qui tam plaintiff to clarify or add detail to the claims in which the state is intervening and to add any additional claims with respect to which the state contends it is entitled to relief. For statute of limitations purposes, any such state pleading shall relate back to the filing date of the complaint of the qui tam plaintiff who originally brought the action, to the extent that the claim of the state arises out of the conduct, transactions, or occurrences set forth, or attempted to be set forth, in the prior complaint of that person.
In any action brought under section 685.3, the state shall prove all essential elements of the cause of action, including damages, by a preponderance of the evidence.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Iowa rules of criminal procedure, or the Iowa rules of evidence, a final judgment rendered in favor of the state in any criminal proceeding charging fraud or false statements, whether upon a verdict after trial or upon a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, shall estop the defendant from denying the essential elements of the offense in any action which involves the same transaction as in the criminal proceeding and which is brought under section 685.3.
Added by Acts 2010 (83 G.A.) ch. 1031, S.F. 2088, § 341.
Any action under section 685.3 may be brought in any county in which the defendant or, in the case of multiple defendants, any one defendant can be found, resides, transacts business, or in which any act proscribed by section 685.2 occurred. An original notice as required by the Iowa rules of civil procedure shall be issued by the appropriate district court and served in accordance with the Iowa rules of civil procedure.
A seal on the action ordered by the court under section 685.3 shall not preclude the state, local government, or the qui tam plaintiff from serving the complaint, any other pleadings, or the written disclosure of substantially all material evidence and information possessed by the qui tam plaintiff on the law enforcement authorities that are authorized under the law of the state or local government to investigate and prosecute such actions on behalf of such governments, except that such seal applies to the law enforcement authorities so served to the same extent as the seal applies to other parties in the action.
Added by Acts 2010 (83 G.A.) ch. 1031, S.F. 2088, § 342.
3) To give oral testimony concerning such documentary material or information.
Custodians of documents, answers, and transcripts.
Any documentary material, answers to written interrogatories, or oral testimony provided under any civil investigative demand issued under subsection 1 shall be deemed confidential and exempt from disclosure under chapter 22.
Added by Acts 2010 (83 G.A.) ch. 1031, S.F. 2088, § 343. Amended by Acts 2010 (83 G.A.) ch. 1193, H.F. 2531, § 64.
Added by Acts 2010 (83 G.A.) ch. 1031, S.F. 2088, § 344.

References: § 338
 § 339
 § 102
 § 340
 § 341
 § 342
 § 343
 § 64
 § 344