Civil Division

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: Complex and Defensive Litigation, Civil Fraud, Civil Rights, Tax, and Civil Appeals.

The Complex and Defensive Litigation 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 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. AUSAs in the Tax Section handle all civil tax litigation involving the federal government in the District, other than in the Tax Court. The Civil Appeals Section handles appeals involving Civil Division cases.

Sections:

Civil Appeals Section

The Civil Appeals Section oversees all civil appeals handled by the Civil Division and serves as a principal liaison between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and all interested components of Main Justice, including the Civil Division Appellate Staff and the Office of the Solicitor General. The Civil Appeals Section advises civil AUSAs of new and noteworthy Ninth Circuit and Supreme Court precedents of relevance to the Division’s areas of responsibility, ensures the Division’s compliance with Department-wide litigation positions, exercises editorial control over all filings before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and supervises all oral arguments presented by Civil Division AUSAs.

Civil Fraud Section

The Civil Fraud Section’s principal mission is the recovery of federal funds obtained by fraud. The government’s primary tool in such cases is the civil False Claims Act, and the Section investigates and litigates a variety of cases involving healthcare, military procurement, customs duties, and federal grant and relief programs. Since 2001, the Civil Fraud Section has recovered over $5 billion.

Civil Rights Section

The Civil Rights Section enforces a broad range of federal civil rights laws in the Central District of California. These laws protect the constitutional rights of district residents; prohibit discrimination in areas such as housing, employment, and law enforcement; and ensure equal opportunity for all. The Section has recently prosecuted cases involving the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Servicemember Civil Relief Act, and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, among other federal anti-discrimination statutes enforced by the Department of Justice.

Complex and Defensive Litigation Section

The Complex and Defensive Litigation Section defends a very wide range of civil actions brought against the United States, its agencies, and its employees. Actions defended against include lawsuits challenging federal programs and federal agency decisions, as well as lawsuits seeking monetary damages from the United States. The Complex and Defensive Litigation Section also brings affirmative cases to protect federal property and recover damages, such as when negligence causes wildfires that damage national forests.

Tax Section

The Tax Section’s mission is to enforce the nation’s federal tax laws fully, fairly, and consistently in civil litigation within the Central District of California, including both district court and bankruptcy court, as well as state court. Tax AUSAs handle a variety of complex cases, including suits for refund of income, employment, excise, estate and gift taxes; suits to collect delinquent tax liabilities and to foreclose federal tax liens (including fraudulent conveyance actions); adversary proceedings and contested matters in bankruptcy relating to tax claims; actions to enforce IRS summonses; suits for summary review of jeopardy and termination assessments; and suits to collect penalties for failure to report foreign bank accounts.