Public Disclosure Rule Dooms Whistleblower Suit Against Republic Services

A federal court dismissed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that Republic Services of Montana violated the False Claims Act by billing government customers for undersized dumpsters and overage fees. The court found the claims were barred because the allegations had already been publicly disclosed during state regulatory proceedings, the plaintiffs were not original sources under the law, and they failed to show that the alleged misrepresentations were material to the government's payment decision