No. 24-705

Bud Conyers v. United States

Lower Court: Fifth Circuit
Docketed: 2025-01-02
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Response Waived
Tags: false-claims-act government-intervention relator-share settlement-agreement statutory-interpretation whistleblower-rights
Key Terms:
Environmental SocialSecurity Securities Immigration LaborRelations
Latest Conference: 2025-02-21
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether the Government can unilaterally reduce a whistleblower's statutory share in a False Claims Act case through strategic settlement agreement language

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

After the Government intervenes in a False Claims Act (“FCA”) case, is the whis tleblower “relator” entitled to 15% -25% of the “proceeds of th e action,” as 31 U.S.C. § 3730(d)(1) clearly states, or can the Government deprive the whistleblower of this statutory “relator’s share,” whenever it wants, by writing up a “Covered Conduct” release in a settlement agreement and then asserting that there are differences between this “Covered Conduct” and what the whistleblower alleged— even when the settlement agreement releases the whistleblower’s claims, as well? In short, can the Government unilaterally gut the whistleblower provi sions at the heart of the FCA, at will, as the decision below authorizes?

Docket Entries

2025-02-24
Petition DENIED.
2025-01-29
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/21/2025.
2025-01-27
Waiver of United States of America of right to respond submitted.
2025-01-27
Waiver of right of respondent United States of America to respond filed.
2024-12-19
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due February 3, 2025)

Attorneys

Bud Conyers
Victor Aronoff KubliGrayson & Kubli, P.C., Petitioner
Victor Aronoff KubliGrayson & Kubli, P.C., Petitioner
United States of America
Elizabeth B. PrelogarSolicitor General, Respondent
Sarah M. HarrisActing Solicitor General, Respondent
Sarah M. HarrisActing Solicitor General, Respondent