The GAO refined the definition of "good faith" in analyzing the liability of disbursing and certifying officers in Clarence Maddox—Relief of Liability for Improper Payment for Bottled Water. The GAO opined that the standard is whether a certifying officer "did not have, nor should reasonably have had, doubt regarding propriety of payment," taking the totality of circumstances into account. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC) asked the GAO to relieve Mr. Maddox, its Clerk of Court for the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Florida, of liability for improper payments for bottled water purchased for employees of the Fort Bierce Division courthouse. The GAO reiterated the general rule that bottled drinking water is a personal expense. The GAO treated Mr. Maddox, titled as a disbursing officer, as a certifying officer for the analysis of his potential liability for the improper payments.
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