WASHINGTON - Honeywell International Inc. will pay the United States $2.6 million to resolve allegations that the company violated the False Claims Act, the Justice Department announced today. The government alleges that Honeywell did not properly test electrostatic protective metallic sheets which had been qualified by the Department of the Navy for use in packaging over 186,000 sensitive parts used by the Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA).
“This settlement exemplifies the Justice Department's determination to ensure that goods and services provided to the United States should always meet the highest possible standards and are free of defects,” said Assistant Attorney General Peter Keisler of the Civil Division.
The settlement resolves Honeywell's potential liability under the False Claims Act arising from the qui tam complaint. Under the statute, a private party, known as a "relator" or whistleblower, can file a suit on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery. As a result of today’s settlement, the relator will receive $393,750.
The litigation and settlement of the case were conducted by the Department's Civil Division along with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. The case was investigated by the DoD’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service Office of the Defense Inspector General, NASA’s Office of Inspector General, and the Department of the Air Force Office of Special Investigation. The case was originally filed in the United States District Court in the Central District of California before being transferred to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
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