An important decision limiting the reach of the federal civil False Claims Act was recently announced in the case of United States ex rel. DRC Inc. v. Custer Battles LLC.  Brian Hill writes that the False Claims Act allows the U.S. government, or private individuals who sue on its behalf— known as qui tam relators—to recover civil penalties and treble damages for ‘‘false or fraudulent claims’’ submitted to the government for payment. The central issue in the Custer Battles decision was whether bills submitted by contractor Custer Battles to the Iraqi Coalition Provisional Authority were ‘‘claims’’ within the meaning of the False Claims Act.