Civil Division

Civil Appeals Section | Civil Fraud Section | Civil Rights Section | Financial Litigation Section |
General Civil Section

Division Organizational Chart

Division Overview

The Civil Division is responsible for representing the federal government and its agencies and employees in civil litigation in the District. Civil Division AUSAs represent the United States at both the trial and appellate levels. It is normal practice for the same AUSA to carry a case from investigation through the District Court and on to the Ninth Circuit. The Civil Division is divided into five sections: General Civil, Financial Litigation, Civil Fraud, Civil Rights and Civil Appeals.

The General Civil Section defends civil actions brought against the United States, its agencies, and its employees and brings certain affirmative civil actions to protect federal property and enforce federal laws. The Financial Litigation Section recovers debt owed to the United States and victims of federal crimes pursuant to civil and criminal judgments. The Civil Fraud Section investigates and litigates civil False Claims Act cases involving fraud on the United States and civil penalty cases involving a broad variety of government programs. The Civil Rights Section enforces federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination, protect constitutional rights and ensure equal opportunity. The Civil Appeals Section handles appeals involving Civil Division cases.

Division Leadership

David Harris is the Chief of the Civil Division. Mr. Harris is a graduate of UCLA and USC Law School. He joined the Office in the Civil Fraud Section in 2008 after spending almost 20 years in private practice where, as an equity partner, he obtained extensive management experience and handled a wide variety of civil matters. As part of that practice, Mr. Harris tried 9 civil matters. He gained additional management experience as the Deputy Chief of the Civil Fraud Section, and as Civil Healthcare Fraud Coordinator where he served for 3 years. As Civil Healthcare Fraud Coordinator, Mr. Harris brought a real appreciation for the ways in which technology and data can improve our ability to work our cases. He has had tremendous success in his Civil Fraud cases, and during his tenure as Civil Fraud Deputy Chief and Civil Healthcare Fraud Coordinator, the Civil Fraud Section collectively recovered in excess of $300 million and has saved taxpayers millions of dollars more through proactive enforcement efforts.