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Civil Division

The Civil Division consists of skilled litigators and legal support staff dedicated to the mission of representing the interests of the United States and its agencies in all civil litigation. With the vibrant city of Atlanta as its hub, the Northern District of Georgia handles a wide range of challenging civil litigation.

Affirmative Civil Enforcement or “ACE”

Drawing private whistleblower or “qui tam” filings from across the country, the Civil Division’s ACE section enjoys a national reputation for investigating and prosecuting large-scale and sophisticated fraud schemes. ACE pursues nationwide fraud schemes, particularly in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, bank and mortgage industries, as well as cyber-security fraud, procurement fraud, grant fraud, and efforts to raid various stimulus and economic recovery assistance programs. With particular expertise in dismantling schemes involving violations of the False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark law, and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, ACE is at the forefront in developing and initiating affirmative cases that dismantle schemes to exploit federal funding and healthcare programs. The ACE section also pursues civil penalties against persons and entities that violate the Controlled Substances Act. 

If you are planning to file a qui tam action in the Northern District of Georgia, please contact Neeli Ben-David, Civil Division Chief (neeli.ben-david@usdoj.gov) and Anthony DeCinque , ACE Coordinator (Anthony.DeCinque@usdoj.gov), prior to filing.

If you wish to make a self-disclosure to the U.S. Attorney under the False Claims Act, please contact Neeli Ben-David, Civil Division Chief (neeli.ben-david@usdoj.gov).

General Defensive Litigation

The defensive practice of the Civil Division intersects with the real-life issues and disputes of a large district with a centralized urban core and the smaller communities that surround it – in addition to the presence of virtually all federal agencies and law enforcement entities. These agencies and entities include a Veterans Administration hospital, a U.S. Penitentiary, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Primary areas of practice are tort cases, including medical malpractice and Constitutional tort cases, employment and immigration. Other areas of practice include judicial review of administrative findings, the Freedom of Information Act, bankruptcy, and social security. Assistant U.S. Attorneys handling the defensive practice manage significant responsibilities unique to representation of federal interests in litigation with immediate impact on the community.        

Service on the United States

The requirements for serving process on the United States (including its federal agencies, federal employees acting in their official capacities, and federal employees for acts or omissions occurring in connection with duties performed on behalf of the United States) are outlined in Rule 4(i) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.  Service must be made on the United States Attorney, U.S. Attorney-General and, where appropriate, the applicable agency or employee.

According to Rule 4(i), methods of service on the United States Attorney include certified mail, registered mail, and hand-delivery to one of the office’s Civil Process Clerks or civil Assistant U.S. Attorneys during business hours (please go through our front desk receptionist).  If you choose to serve via certified or registered mail, please use the following address:

United States Attorney’s Office
ATTN:  Civil Process Clerk
75 Ted Turner Drive SW
Suite 600
Atlanta, Georgia 30303 

For civil actions filed in state court that affect property on which the United States has or claims a lien or interest, the service requirements are set out in 28 U.S.C. § 2410(b).

Please note that the United States does not waive service.  See Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(d).

 

Updated February 26, 2024