75-7503. Same; false claims; liability; damages; civil penalties; civil action. (a) A person who commits any of the following acts shall be liable to the state or any affected political subdivision thereof, for three times the amount of damages which the state or such political subdivision sustains because of the act of that person and shall be liable to the state for a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 and not more than $11,000 for each violation. A person found to have committed any of the following acts shall be liable to the state or such affected political subdivision for all reasonable costs and attorney fees incurred in a civil action brought to recover any of those penalties or damages. The following acts constitute violations for which civil penalties, costs and attorney fees may be recovered by a civil action under this act:

(1) Knowingly presents or causes to be presented to any employee, officer or agent of the state or political subdivision thereof or to any contractor, grantee or other recipient of state funds or funds of any political subdivision thereof, a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval;

(2) knowingly makes, uses or causes to be made or used, a false record or statement to get a false or fraudulent claim paid or approved;

(3) defrauds the state or any political subdivision thereof by getting a false claim allowed or paid or by knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used, a false record or statement to conceal, avoid or decrease an obligation to pay or transmit money or property to the state or to any political subdivision thereof;

(4) has possession, custody or control of public property or money used or to be used by the state or any political subdivision thereof and knowingly delivers or causes to be delivered less property or money than the amount for which the person receives a certificate or receipt;

(5) is authorized to make or deliver a document certifying receipt of property used or to be used by the state or any political subdivision thereof and knowingly makes or delivers a receipt that falsely represents the property received;

(6) 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;

(7) is a beneficiary of an inadvertent submission of a false claim to any employee, officer or agent of the state or political subdivision thereof, or to any contractor, grantee or other recipient of state funds or funds of any political subdivision thereof, who subsequently discovers the falsity of the claim and fails to disclose the false claim and make satisfactory arrangements for repayment to the state or affected political subdivision thereof within a reasonable time after discovery of the false claim;

(8) conspires to commit any violation set forth in paragraphs (1) through (7), above.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), the court may assess not more than two times the amount of damages which the state or any political subdivision thereof sustains because of the act of the person in violation of paragraphs (1) through (8) of subsection (a) and no civil penalty shall be imposed, if the court finds all of the following:

(1) The person committing the violation furnished officials of the state who are responsible for investigating false claims violations with all information known to that person about the violation within 30 days after the date on which the person first obtained the information;

(2) the person fully cooperated with any investigation by the state; and

(3) at the time the person furnished the state with information about the violation, no criminal prosecution, civil action or administrative action had commenced with respect to the violation and the person did not have actual knowledge of the existence of an investigation into the violation.

(c) In a civil action brought pursuant to subsection (a), proof of specific intent to defraud is not required. An innocent mistake shall be a defense to an action under this act.

(d) This section does not apply to claims, records or statements related to state taxation law made pursuant to chapter 79 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated, and amendments thereto.

History: L. 2009, ch. 103, § 3; Apr. 30.