Japanese Manufacturer to Appeal False Claims Act Guilty Verdict to 9th Circuit

Japanese manufacturer Sigma Corporation will appeal a U.S. District Court for the Central District of California decision finding Sigma, along with other companies, guilty of False Claims Act violations related to not paying antidumping duties, Sigma told the district court in a Jan. 7 notice. The appeal will go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Sigma is notifying the district court of its appeal despite the fact that the district court has not entered final judgment because the defendant wants to "preserve all appellate rights" (United States v. Vandewater International, C.D. Cal. #17-04393). In 2017, Island Industries accused Sigma and others of failing to pay antidumping duties on welded outlet imports from China while also alleging that they submitted false information to the U.S. relating to the applicability and amount of duties owed. Many of the other defendants, including Smith Cooper International Inc. and Allied Rubber and Gasket Co., were dismissed from the action (see 2103310033).