Cochise Consultancy, Inc., Petitioners v. United States, ex rel. Billy Joe Hunt

Summary

The Court held that the False Claims Act’s two statutory limitations periods apply to relator‑initiated qui tam actions even when the Government does not intervene, and that a private relator is not "the official of the United States" whose knowledge triggers the three‑year period. The decision rests on a plain‑text reading of §3731(b) and rejects the Government’s alternative construction.