article thumbnail

#126:  The Federal False Claims Act

NH Construction Law

The federal False Claims Act (FCA), 31 U.S.C. § imposes liability for knowingly making a false or fraudulent “claim,” or a false record or statement material to such a claim, in order to obtain funds from the federal government. § 3729 et seq., 31 U.S.C. § § 3729(b)(2). ” 31 U.S.C. §

Claims 40
article thumbnail

Jury Awards Millions in Sustainable Hog Case

Green Building Law Update

According to a representative of the North Carolina Pork Council who was in the courtroom for closing arguments, the plaintiffs’ Texas lawyer acknowledged there are no health claims, and no injuries, but he appealed to the grandparents on the jury, a “grandpa should smell like lemon drops, not hog,” he said.

professionals

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

False Advertising Claims over Net Zero and LEED Certified Homes

Green Building Law Update

Homebuyers are making claims of false advertising over “Net Zero LEED certified” houses in midtown Sacramento – that may be neither. According to print media accounts , 17 of the 34 homebuyers filed a statement of claim on September 30, 2016 commencing an arbitration proceeding against Pacific Housing, Inc., But are they?

Claims 120
article thumbnail

ESG Accelerates Greenwashing

Green Building Law Update

Sidestepping for a moment those companies that set out to intentionally deceive other about their ESG bonafides, from time to time, what companies think their ESG claims mean and what others really understand are two different things. And while today it has a broader definition including not only environmental claims but also matters of ESG.

Claims 156
article thumbnail

Net Zero Pledges by Businesses are Fraught with Risk

Green Building Law Update

Businesses making a net zero claim like, “we will be net zero by 2030” risk a charge that they are misleading consumers. It is one thing when a political leaders in a government make an ESG claim. But it is another thing for a business to make ESG claims about net zero or otherwise that mislead customers.

Risk 156
article thumbnail

Designing Highly-Sustainable Buildings

Natural Building

Earlier this month I participated in a webinar titled Designing Highly-Sustainable Buildings featuring the Sketchup software team, along with Sefaira, a plugin that calculates various aspects of energy use pertaining to the design. The post Designing Highly-Sustainable Buildings appeared first on Natural Building Blog.

article thumbnail

Sustainable Sites Initiative Lawsuit is a Cautionary Tale

Green Building Law Update

In an all-out brawl within the environmental industrial complex, last week the American Society of Landscape Architects filed a lawsuit over the ownership of the trademark for the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) against the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center at the University of Texas. Green Building Council''s LEED rating system.