 In a 2000 case, "Vermont Agency of Natural Resources v. United States ex rel.Stevens", 529 U.S. 765 (2000), the United States Supreme Court endorsed the "partial assignment" approach to qui tam relator standing to sue under the False Claims Act — allowing private individuals to sue on behalf of the U.S. government for injuries suffered solely by the government.The initial case that established the doctrine of standing, "Frothingham v. Mellon", was a taxpayer standing case.