BB&K Partner John Higginbotham represented the City of Azusa in City of Azusa v. Simich Construction Company. The case involved fraudulent billings by a contractor, which were later discovered in the course of a contract dispute on a subsequent public works project. As the City’s designated prosecuting authority, BB&K sued the contractor for violations of the False Claims Act. The contractor filed a cross-complaint for breach of contract. The case was ultimately settled on terms highly favorable to the City, which included the contractor receiving nothing and the City retaining a substantial sum of money on the subsequent project which would otherwise have been payable to the contractor.