Rothschild

Marianne Rothschild filed an action against Tyco International (US), Inc. (Tyco), Watts Industries, Inc. (Watts), James Jones Co. (Jones), Mueller Co. (Mueller), Westbume Supply, Inc. and Marden Susco Company (collectively, the defendants), alleging that the defendants violated the unfair competition law (Bus. & Prof. Code, § 17200 et seq.; Cel-Tech Communications, Inc. v. Los Angeles Cellular Telephone Co. (1999) 20 Cal.4th 163, 169, fn. 2 [ 83 Cal.Rptr.2d 548 , 973 P.2d 527 ]). The superior court sustained the defendants’ demurrer to Rothschild’s second amended complaint without leave to amend, holding that her action was barred by the California False Claims Act (Gov. Code, § 12650 et seq. [all statutory references are to the Government Code unless otherwise specified]), because a separate lawsuit had been filed against the defendants for violations of that statutory scheme based on the same underlying factual allegations that provide the basis for this action. Rothschild appeals, contending that the court erred in finding that her action was barred. We agree and reverse the order.

Factual and Procedural Background

In accordance with the traditional standards of…