By Krista Cooley and Laurence Platt ( September 18, 2017, 1:33 PM EDT) -- It is hard to criticize the purpose of the False Claims Act. The 154-year-old statute, which authorizes the imposition of triple damages on companies that knowingly make false or fraudulent claims for money or property to the U.S. government, is designed to make it hurt for those who allegedly wrongfully take money from the public coffers. And hurt it has. Whether it is the residential mortgage industry, health care industry or government procurement industry, the U.S. Department of Justice successfully has extracted billions of dollars in settlements between 2009 and 2016. During that time period, according to DOJ press releases, residential mortgage lenders have paid more than $7 billion in FCA damages, including $1.7 billion in 2016 alone, without regard to the dollar value of the settlements based on consumer relief to mortgagors and related claims under other federal laws....