Hartford conglomerate United Technologies Corp. must repay the U.S. government $473 million plus interest for over-billing military jet engines, an Ohio federal judge ruled.
The ruling stems from the federal government’s 1999 lawsuit against UTC subsidiary Pratt & Whitney over the engines for the F-15 and F-16 fighter jets. The government claimed Pratt made knowingly false claims about the multi-billion program that resulted in overpayments.
U.S. Judge Thomas Rose from Dayton, Ohio, ruled on the case Monday, following instructions from an appeal court after a previous $8 million judgment was overturned. The new $473 million ruling calls on Pratt to pay interest on the overpayments dating back to the mid-1980s, a figure the government still must calculate.
“We disgree with the court’s opinion, and we will be appealing,” UTC spokesman Ian Race said.
Pratt is supplying the engines for the U.S. military’s next generation of jet fighter, the F-35. The East Hartford manufacturer has delivered its 100th engine under that program, the company announced Tuesday.
