Terms Used In New Jersey Statutes 2A:32C-3

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • person: includes corporations, companies, associations, societies, firms, partnerships and joint stock companies as well as individuals, unless restricted by the context to an individual as distinguished from a corporate entity or specifically restricted to one or some of the above enumerated synonyms and, when used to designate the owner of property which may be the subject of an offense, includes this State, the United States, any other State of the United States as defined infra and any foreign country or government lawfully owning or possessing property within this State. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
  • State: extends to and includes any State, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia and the Canal Zone. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
3. A person shall be jointly and severally liable to the State for a civil penalty of not less than and not more than the civil penalty allowed under the federal False Claims Act (31 U.S.C.s.3729 et seq.), as may be adjusted in accordance with the inflation adjustment procedures prescribed in the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, Pub.L.101-410, for each false or fraudulent claim, plus three times the amount of damages which the State sustains, if the person commits any of the following acts:

a. Knowingly presents or causes to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval;

b. Knowingly makes, uses, or causes to be made or used a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim;

c. Conspires to commit any violation of subsection a., b., d., e., f., or g. of this section;

d. Has possession, custody, or control of public property or money used or to be used by the State and knowingly delivers or causes to be delivered less property or money than the amount for which the person receives a certificate or receipt;

e. Is authorized to make or deliver a document certifying receipt of property used or to be used by the State and, intending to defraud the entity, makes or delivers a receipt without completely knowing that the information on the receipt is true;

f. Knowingly buys, or receives as a pledge of an obligation or debt, public property from any person who lawfully may not sell or pledge the property; or

g. Knowingly makes, uses, or causes to be made or used a false record or statement material to an obligation to pay or transmit money or property to the State, or knowingly conceals or knowingly and improperly avoids or decreases an obligation to pay or transmit money or property to the State.

L.2007, c.265, s.3; amended 2023, c.73, s.2.