UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Charles Robert PARKINS; A&E Technical Services, Incorporated, Defendants-Appellants, 120 F. App'x 507

PER CURIAM. Charles Robert Parkins and A&E Technical Services, Incorporated, appeal the district court’s order granting

summary judgment in favor of the United States on the United States’ claim that they violated the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733 (2000). We have reviewed the parties’ briefs and the joint appendix and find no reversible error. Accordingly, we affirm for the reasons stated by the district court. See United States v. Parkins, No. CA-02-1094-2 (S.D.W. Va. Feb. 20, 2004; July 1, 2004). We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before the court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

AFFIRMED Although Appellants also state that they appeal from the district court's order awarding damages, they failed to provide argument on the damages issue in their opening brief. We therefore find that this issue is not properly before us. See United States v. Al-Hamdi, 356 F.3d 564, 571 n. 8 (4th Cir.2004) ("It is a well settled rule that contentions not raised in the argument

section of the opening brief are abandoned.").