JENNIFER WALKER ELROD, Circuit Judge:
These appeals require us to examine a lawsuit brought under the False Claims Act ("FCA"), 31 U.S.C. § 3729 et seq., against the backdrop of two bankruptcy proceedings. The district court concluded that John Dee Spicer, the bankruptcy trustee, had exclusive standing to assert the FCA claims at issue because those claims belonged to the bankruptcy estate. The district court later dismissed Spicer's complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) and denied Spicer's subsequent motion for reconsideration. We agree with the district court that only Spicer has standing to prosecute the FCA
We begin with the bankruptcies. Clifford Westbrook and his company, Westbrook Navigator, LLC ("Navigator"), filed separate Chapter 7 petitions on May 15, 2010.
On June 14, 2010, separate meetings — one for Westbrook and one for Navigator — were convened pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 341. At the Westbrook meeting, Westbrook testified in response to questions from his bankruptcy counsel regarding the "potential claims" in his schedule of assets:
Westbrook further testified at the meeting in response to questioning from Spicer:
Westbrook thereafter did not provide Spicer with any documentation regarding the potential claims. At the Navigator meeting, Westbrook did not mention any potential claims that might exist for the benefit of Navigator. Westbrook testified that Navigator's asset schedule remained true and correct.
Based on Navigator's apparent lack of assets, Spicer filed a report of no distribution ("no-asset report") in the Navigator bankruptcy proceeding on June 21, 2010. On July 22, 2010, the bankruptcy court approved the no-asset report, discharged Spicer, and closed the Navigator bankruptcy. Spicer filed a no-asset report in the Westbrook bankruptcy proceeding on April 22, 2011. On April 25, 2011, the bankruptcy court approved the no-asset report, discharged Spicer, and closed the Westbrook bankruptcy.
Spicer moved to reopen the Westbrook and Navigator bankruptcy proceedings on October 6, 2011, in order to administer the FCA lawsuit as an asset.
We turn now to the facts underlying the FCA lawsuit.
The MRAP contract also incorporated Federal Acquisition Regulation ("FAR") clause 52.246-2, which is codified at 48 C.F.R. § 52.246-2. FAR clause 52.246-2(b) required Navistar Defense to "provide and maintain an inspection system acceptable to the Government covering supplies under [the] contract" and "tender to the Government for acceptance only supplies that ha[d] been inspected in accordance with the inspection system and ha[d] been found by [Navistar Defense] to be in conformity with contract requirements." FAR clause 52.246-2(b) also required Navistar Defense to "prepare records evidencing all inspections made under the system and the outcome."
Navistar Defense proceeded to subcontract with Defiance Metal Products Company ("Defiance") to manufacture component parts of the MRAPs. Navistar Defense and Defiance further subcontracted with Jerry Bell and Bell's Conversions, Incorporated (collectively, "Custom Conversions") to apply the CARC to the component parts. Custom Conversions began work on the component parts in February 2007 but soon confronted difficulties in applying the required epoxy primer. Custom Conversions then decided to skip the priming step of the CARC system. Yet Custom Conversions included a statement on invoices sent to Navistar Defense and Defiance that its finished component parts conformed to the relevant mil spec.
Westbrook visited Navistar Defense's facility in August 2007. Westbrook observed that the MRAP component parts had visible corrosion and adhesion problems, prompting him to inform Navistar Defense that the parts lacked the proper epoxy primer. Navistar Defense employees responded that they were aware that Custom Conversions was not applying the primer as required by the CARC system. Nevertheless, Navistar Defense continued to subcontract with Custom Conversions into 2009.
Navistar Defense ultimately delivered more than 7,000 MRAPs to the United States for payment under the contract. Navistar Defense billed the United States approximately $530,000 for each MRAP.
The procedural history of the FCA lawsuit begins with Westbrook retaining FCA counsel on January 11, 2010. On June 10, 2010, soon after the commencement of the bankruptcy proceedings, Westbrook disclosed a draft of his FCA complaint, which named Westbrook as relator, to the United States. On August 13, 2010, Navigator (as relator) filed the Original Complaint under seal, alleging more than $12 billion in damages. The identity of the relator was the only significant difference between the Original Complaint and the draft complaint disclosed to the United States on June 10, 2010. Navigator asserted claims against Navistar, Incorporated, Navistar Defense, Defiance, Jerry Bell, and Custom Conversions, alleging that the defendants violated various provisions of the FCA by making false statements to the United States in connection with the delivery of MRAPs pursuant to a government contract.
On March 31, 2011, Navigator filed a motion to substitute Westbrook as relator, arguing that as a result of Navigator's bankruptcy the company "exist[ed] only to the extent allowed by Texas law for such limited purposes as winding up or litigation"
On September 28, 2011, the defendants moved for reconsideration and vacatur of the April 6, 2011, substitution order, arguing that both Navigator and Westbrook lacked standing to prosecute the suit. On December 16, 2011, Spicer moved to substitute himself, as trustee, as relator. The district court considered the motion under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 54(b), finding that reconsideration was necessary under the circumstances. The district court concluded that Spicer, the real party in interest, had exclusive standing to bring the qui tarn action and had not abandoned the asset. Moreover, the court concluded that judicial estoppel precluded both Navigator and Westbrook from asserting the FCA claims. On December 20, 2011, the district court therefore vacated the substitution order. The district court also granted Spicer's motion to substitute and accordingly substituted Spicer as relator.
The district court dismissed the Original Complaint on March 21, 2012, granting leave to Spicer to file an amended complaint. Spicer filed his First Amended Complaint on April 20, 2012, asserting five FCA claims against the defendants. Spicer recited the MRAP facts described above. In Count One, Spicer asserted that Navistar Defense violated § 3729(a)(1) (effective through May 19, 2009)
Each defendant filed a motion to dismiss Spicer's First Amended Complaint. The district court granted the motions on July 11, 2012, concluding that Spicer had failed to allege with particularity any fraud on the part of Navistar Defense and had failed to allege an FCA claim based on an express certification. Accordingly, the district court dismissed Spicer's claims.
Westbrook and Spicer thus come to us with two separate appeals. Westbrook appeals the district court's decision to reconsider and vacate the April 6, 2011, substitution order and to substitute Spicer as relator. Spicer appeals the district court's decision to dismiss Counts Two and Three of the First Amended Complaint as to Navistar Defense only. Spicer also appeals the district court's decision to deny the motion for reconsideration.
Our analysis begins with Westbrook, Navigator, and the bankruptcy saga. We review the district court's decision to substitute Spicer as relator for abuse of discretion. Wieburg v. GTE Siv. Inc., 272 F.3d 302, 308 (5th Cir.2001). We will not reverse for abuse of discretion "unless the district court's factual findings are clearly erroneous or incorrect legal standards were applied." Latvian Shipping Co. v. Baltic Shipping Co., 99 F.3d 690, 692 (5th Cir.1996). Whether Spicer retains exclusive standing to assert the FCA claims is a legal question, to be reviewed de novo. Wieburg, 272 F.3d at 305.
Under the Bankruptcy Code, the filing of a Chapter 7 petition creates an estate consisting of "all legal or equitable interests of the debtor in property as of the commencement of the case." 11 U.S.C. § 541(a)(1). The phrase "all legal or equitable interests" includes legal
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 17(a) requires that all actions be prosecuted in the name of the "real party in interest." "`The real party in interest is the person holding the substantive right sought to be enforced, and not necessarily the person who will ultimately benefit from the recovery.'" Wieburg, 272 F.3d at 306 (quoting Farrell Constr. Co. v. Jefferson Parish, 896 F.2d 136, 140 (5th Cir.1990)). In the bankruptcy context, the bankruptcy trustee is the real party in interest with respect to claims falling within the bankruptcy estate. Kane, 535 F.3d at 387. The bankruptcy trustee therefore has exclusive standing to assert undisclosed claims that fall within the bankruptcy estate. Wieburg, 272 F.3d at 306.
To resolve Westbrook's appeal, we must therefore decide whether the FCA claims were disclosed during the bankruptcy proceedings — specifically, whether Navigator disclosed those claims.
We conclude that no such disclosure occurred. To begin with, Westbrook and Navigator were separate entities, each entitled in theory to bring an FCA lawsuit. Each party was aware of the facts underlying the FCA claims (i.e., generally, the alleged failure to comply with the CARC) prior to both bankruptcies. At the latest, each party was aware of the relevant facts on June 10, 2010, when the draft complaint was disclosed to the United States. Therefore, both Westbrook and Navigator possessed enough facts to trigger the disclosure requirements. See Coastal Plains, 179 F.3d at 208. Without regard to whether Westbrook's vague, circuitous descriptions of the FCA suit — provided in Westbrook's asset schedule and personal § 341 testimony — constituted disclosure with respect to Westbrook's bankruptcy, there were no such disclosures with respect to the Navigator bankruptcy. Moreover, the law not impose any burden on Spicer to investigate whether Navigator may have had the same claims.
Even assuming arguendo that Westbrook's testimony could have amounted to a disclosure on behalf of Navigator, Westbrook's disclosure was insufficient itself. First, Westbrook stated on his asset schedule that the "potential claims" involved an "unknown" amount. In fact, however, the draft complaint sought more than $12 billion in damages, and Westbrook, as relator, would have been entitled to a substantial percentage of that potential recovery under § 3730(d). Moreover, when the issue first arose at the § 341 meeting, Westbrook's bankruptcy attorney stated that the item listed in Westbrook's asset schedules was "really not a claim that you have," and Westbrook responded affirmatively. Westbrook again responded affirmatively to the statement, "you're not really a party to the lawsuit." Westbrook also inaccurately characterized himself as a "witness" in the case. Westbrook did provide some details in response to questioning by Spicer, but he was never forthcoming about the existence of the draft complaint.
Because the FCA suit belonged to Navigator's bankruptcy estate when it was filed, Spicer was the real party in interest, with exclusive standing to assert the claims. We therefore conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in substituting Spicer as relator in this case.
Having concluded that Spicer is the proper relator, we now turn to the district court's disposition of Spicer's FCA claims. The FCA permits a private person (i.e., a relator) to bring suit against a person who has made false claims for payment from the United States. See §§ 3729(a) and 3730(b). The qui tam
Recognizing that the "statute attaches liability, not to the underlying
First, we will address the district court's dismissal of Counts Two and Three in the First Amended Complaint. We will then turn to the denial of the motion for reconsideration, in which Spicer also requested leave to file the Second Amended Complaint.
We review de novo a district court's ruling on a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6). United States ex rel. Steury v. Cardinal Health, Inc. (Steury I), 625 F.3d 262, 266 (5th Cir.2010). Under Rule 8(a), the plaintiff must allege "enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). While we accept all well-pleaded factual allegations as true and interpret the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, "[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements," do not establish facial plausibility. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). Claims brought under the FCA must also comply with Rule 9(b), which requires a plaintiff to set forth the "who, what, when, where, and how" of the alleged fraud. Steury I, 625 F.3d at 266 (internal quotation marks omitted).
In Counts Two and Three of the First Amended Complaint, Spicer asserts that each MRAP delivery to the United States constituted a false statement. In support, Spicer argues that FAR clause 52.246-2 rendered each delivery an express false "statement" that Navistar Defense had inspected the MRAP and knew that the MRAP conformed to the contract requirements. Spicer also argues that Navistar Defense's deliveries constituted express false statements because Navistar Defense's system of records pertaining to those deliveries included the false invoices from Custom Conversions. We are not persuaded.
The linchpin of an FCA claim resting on a violation of a statute or regulation — here, FAR clause 52.246-2 — is the requirement of a certification of compliance. We have concluded that when "the government has conditioned payment of a claim upon a claimant's certification of compliance with, for example, a statute or regulation, a claimant submits a false or fraudulent claim when he or she falsely certifies compliance with that statute or regulation." United States ex rel. Marcy v. Rowan Cos., Inc., 520 F.3d 384, 389 (5th Cir.2008) (internal quotation marks omitted). Indeed, "false certifications of compliance" create liability only when "certification is a prerequisite to obtaining a government benefit." Id. (internal quotation marks omitted); see Steury I, 625 F.3d at 269 ("[E]ven if a contractor falsely certifies compliance (implicitly or explicitly) with some statute, regulation, or contract provision, the underlying claim for payment is not `false' within the meaning of the FCA if the contractor is not required to certify compliance in order to receive payment."). Although we have previously indicated that the prerequisite
Even assuming arguendo that Navistar did falsely certify compliance with the CARC system by delivering the MRAPs, Spicer does not allege in the First Amended Complaint that such certification was a prerequisite to receiving payment under the contract. See Steury I, 625 F.3d at 269. Spicer's FCA claims are therefore doomed — without the requirement of certification in this context, there is no false statement under the FCA. In essence, all that Spicer has alleged with respect to Counts Two and Three of the First Amended Complaint is a breach of contract. We continue to adhere to the principle that "[n]ot every breach of a federal contract is an FCA problem." See Steury I, 625 F.3d at 268.
Spicer relies heavily on FAR clause 52.246-2, which imposed a duty on Navistar Defense to inspect the MRAPs to ensure compliance with the CARC requirements of the contract. Yet, as an initial matter, we observe that nowhere in the First Amended Complaint does Spicer allege that Navistar Defense was required to certify compliance with FAR clause 52.246-2 in order to receive payment. Spicer therefore does not satisfy the prerequisite requirement by invoking FAR clause 52.246-2. Moreover, we confronted and rejected a similar argument in Steury I. There, explaining that the Federal Acquisition Regulation at issue conditioned payment for the contract subject matter on the United States' acceptance and permitted the United States to seek a range of remedies in the event that it received noncompliant items, the panel concluded that the United States' "ability to seek a range of remedies in the event of noncompliance" suggested that payment was not "conditioned on a certification of compliance." Steury I, 625 F.3d at 270. Here, FAR clause 52.246-2 provides in part that the United States "has the right to either reject or to require correction of nonconforming supplies.... [T]he Contracting Officer may require or permit correction in place, promptly after notice, by and at the expense of the Contractor." 48 C.F.R. § 52.246-2(f)-(g). As in Steury I, the language establishing the United States' ability to seek a range of remedies in the event of noncompliance suggests that payment was not conditioned on Navistar Defense's certification of compliance. Indeed, according to the First Amended Complaint, the United States did in fact reject some of the MRAPs for lack of CARC coating, and the defective parts were then replaced. The United States' rejection of those MRAPs — within the terms of FAR clause 52.246-2 — belies the notion that Navistar Defense made a material false or fraudulent statement within the meaning of the FCA.
Likewise, although Spicer alleges that Custom Conversions made false statements on the invoices indicating that the
Spicer therefore failed to allege with particularity the "who, what, when, where, and how" of Navistar Defense's false statements with respect to Counts Two and Three of the First Amended Complaint.
The remaining issue in this appeal is whether the district court erred in denying Spicer's Rule 59(e) motion for reconsideration and request for leave to file the Second Amended Complaint. Where, as here, the plaintiff files a motion for reconsideration and requests leave to amend following a dismissal with prejudice, "the considerations for [the] Rule 59(e) motion are governed by [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure] 15(a)."
Upon our review of the proposed Second Amended Complaint, we are satisfied that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion. As an initial matter, we note that, although the First Amended Complaint represented Spicer's initial complaint, the district court had already dismissed Navigator's Original Complaint. The dismissal was accompanied by an explanation as to that complaint's deficiencies. Spicer therefore had the opportunity to cure and failed. The Second Amended Complaint is deficient itself. To be sure, the Second Amended Complaint provides greater specificity as
For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that Spicer, as trustee, had exclusive standing to prosecute this FCA lawsuit because Westbrook failed to disclose, during the bankruptcy proceedings, the existence of the FCA claims. Furthermore, we conclude that the district court properly dismissed Spicer's First Amended Complaint because Spicer failed to allege adequately an FCA claim. Because the proposed Second Amended Complaint did not cure that failure, the district court was within its discretion to deny the motion for reconsideration and request for leave to file the Second Amended Complaint.
We AFFIRM.
In fact, as explained in Gebert, 260 F.3d at 918-19, a relator in Westbrook's position could have alleviated any confidentiality concerns in one of several ways. First, Westbrook could have filed a motion with the bankruptcy court under Federal Bankruptcy Rule of Procedure 9018, which authorizes the court to enter an order "to protect governmental matters that are made confidential by statute or regulation." Second, Westbrook could have filed for a protective order. By pursuing either course of action Westbrook could have disclosed the claims without compromising confidentiality.