Willette v. Univ. of Mass., No. 15-1239 (1st Cir. 2016)
Annotate this CaseRelator, an employee of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), sued UMMS alleging violations of the False Claims Act (FCA) and its Massachusetts counterpart. The district court dismissed Relator’s FCA claims against UMMS, concluding that UMMS is a state agency and, thus, exempt from the FCA. The district court denied Relator’s subsequent motion for leave to file a third amended complaint, concluding that the proffered complaint would be futile. The First Circuit affirmed, holding (1) UMMS is an arm of the state, not a “person” subject to suit under the FCA, and therefore, UMMS is exempt from suit by private parties under the FCA; and (2) Relator’s attempt to appeal the district court’s denial of leave to amend for want of appellate jurisdiction is dismissed for want of appellate jurisdiction.
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