Supreme Court Won't Hear Appeal of Marking Duties False Claims Act Case by Customs Fraud Investigation Company

The Supreme Court on Oct. 2 declined to hear an appeal of a recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit that False Claims Act whistleblower lawsuits may be filed for failure to pay marking duties on unmarked or improperly marked imports. A lower court had in 2015 dismissed the lawsuit (see 1504290070), filed against the pipe fitting importer Victaulic by Customs Fraud Investigations, a company founded to investigate customs fraud, before it was resurrected by the appeals court (see 1610060030). Victaulic subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court, which denied certiorari in the case without comment.