Aerospace & Defense

  • January 12, 2024

    'Traumatized' Passengers Sue Boeing Over 737 Max 9 Blowout

    After the harrowing blowout of a mid-cabin panel and rapid depressurization aboard their 737 Max 9 jet, passengers on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 sued The Boeing Co. in Washington state court on Friday, saying the event "emotionally traumatized most if not all aboard."

  • January 12, 2024

    IT Firms Sue Over Exclusion From $12B DLA Contract

    Two federal contractors disputed their exclusion from a competition for a Defense Logistics Agency information technology services contract worth up to $12 billion, claiming in separate protests that the DLA improperly evaluated their bids using criteria not stated in the solicitation.

  • January 12, 2024

    Boeing Accused Of Negligence In Love-Triangle Murder

    Boeing's failure to act after learning that two of its employees were romantically involved with their supervisor resulted in one of the employees murdering his co-worker, according to a suit removed to Washington federal court Friday.

  • January 12, 2024

    Expanded Scrutiny Of Defense Deals Raises Scope Concerns

    An inconspicuous portion of the 2024 legislation establishing U.S. Department of Defense priorities grants the agency greater ability to scrutinize mergers and acquisitions, but knowing which deals will merit close inspection is a guessing game without regulatory guidance.

  • January 12, 2024

    Gov't Workers Slam Feds' Bid To Escape Savings Plan Suit

    Federal workers and military members rebuffed the U.S. government and two contractors' efforts to dismiss claims that they mismanaged their retirement savings, telling a court in Washington, D.C., that they adequately alleged the group's liability for botching a system modernization effort.

  • January 12, 2024

    GAO Says DOD's Accidental Info Leak To Biz Rival Not Unfair

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office rejected a Miami-based aviation fuel and service company's claim that the U.S. Department of Defense's logistics agency unlawfully disclosed an internal memorandum containing sensitive information to a rival company, saying the agency hadn't done so intentionally.

  • January 12, 2024

    Up Next At High Court: Chevron Deference, Corp. Filings

    The U.S. Supreme Court will be closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and will begin a short oral argument week Tuesday, during which the justices will consider overturning Chevron deference, a decades-old doctrine that instructs courts to defer to federal agencies' interpretations of ambiguous statutes. 

  • January 12, 2024

    High Court Eyes Chevron Deference: What You Need To Know

    Will the U.S. Supreme Court overturn 40 years of doctrine telling courts to defer to federal agencies when interpreting laws? That's what is at stake Wednesday when the justices hear two cases, both from fishing companies that have asked the court to turn its back or limit the impact of the 1984 decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. Here, catch up with Law360's coverage of the cases brought by Loper Bright Enterprises and Relentless Inc.

  • January 11, 2024

    Aircraft Parts Supplier Incora Can Solicit Votes For Ch. 11 Plan

    A Texas bankruptcy judge on Thursday signed off on the disclosure statement of Incora's Chapter 11 plan, setting aside an objection from noteholders that argued the aerospace component distributor should not seek creditors' votes on the plan before a lawsuit they brought against it is resolved.

  • January 11, 2024

    DOD Eyes Modernized Industrial Base In 'First-Ever' Strategy

    The Pentagon on Thursday released its first-ever strategy for building a next-generation defense industrial ecosystem that prioritizes collaboration with private industries and international allies to stay prepared for national security threats such as from China and Russia.

  • January 11, 2024

    NLRB Wants SpaceX's Constitutional Challenge Sent To Calif.

    The National Labor Relations Board sought Thursday to transfer SpaceX's bombshell suit challenging its constitutionality from Texas to California, saying the case has "virtually no nexus" to the court where it was filed and accusing the spacecraft maker of forum shopping.

  • January 11, 2024

    Watchdog OK's VA's Treatment Of $331M Conflicts Claims

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office has dismissed claims that a $331 million U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs cybersecurity contract was tainted by the contract winner's employment of a former VA official, saying the purported conflict of interest was sufficiently investigated.

  • January 11, 2024

    Navy Sinks Some Failure To Warn Claims In Fuel Leak Suit

    A Hawaii federal judge on Thursday threw out some failure to warn claims in a suit against the U.S. government over a fuel leak at a Navy storage facility at Pearl Harbor, finding that the government has sovereign immunity over claims based on misrepresentation.

  • January 11, 2024

    Sens. Want Navy Federal Probed For Racial Bias In Lending

    Several Democratic U.S. senators asked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Thursday to review Navy Federal Credit Union's mortgage lending practices following a string of lawsuits launched against the credit union alleging discrimination against racial minorities.

  • January 11, 2024

    On Your Mark, Get Set, Prosecute: Trump Cases Vie For Lead

    In the high-stakes race against the clock to try Donald Trump on criminal charges before voters decide the general election later this year, two cases against the former president currently have the most realistic chance of crossing the finish line first — and one could be far more consequential than the other, experts say.

  • January 11, 2024

    Bradley Arant Adds Litigator In Tampa, Ex-Prosecutor In Ala.

    Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP said this week that it had added two new partners with deep experience in both private practice and government to its litigation and government enforcement and investigations practice groups.

  • January 10, 2024

    DOD Finds Violations Rife At White House Med Unit Pharmacy

    Lack of oversight within the White House Medical Unit pharmacy operations has led to prescribing, dispensing, storage and inventory practices that violate numerous federal regulations, a U.S. Department of Defense Office of Inspector General evaluation of internal controls at the unit has revealed.

  • January 10, 2024

    Bill Floated To Study Bayh-Dole Requirement Inefficiencies

    A proposal is being floated that would require the U.S. Government Accountability Office to do a study of ways to streamline processes outlined in a law that cleared private organizations and universities to commercialize patents that came from government funding.

  • January 10, 2024

    Feds' Omission Breached $3.5M Contract, Board Says

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers breached a $3.5 million contract for demolition services at a missile testing facility by failing to let the contractor know the site would be off-limits during weapons tests, a contract appeals board ruled.

  • January 10, 2024

    $8M Atty Fee OK'd For $27M Maxar Investor Settlement

     A Colorado federal judge approved an $8.1 million award for attorneys who secured a $27 million settlement for shareholders in a suit accusing Maxar Technologies of using its $2.4 billion acquisition of a space imaging business to inflate its assets and hide problems with its vendor's satellite.

  • January 10, 2024

    Bankrupt Co. Asks Court To Reject Gulfstream Supply Deal

    Incora, a bankrupt aerospace supply chain management company, urged a Texas court to immediately end a Gulfstream supply contract that became unprofitable during the COVID-19 pandemic, contesting Gulfstream's claims that a contract termination clause must be honored for Incora to reject the deal.

  • January 10, 2024

    3rd Circ. Nixes Avco Corp.'s Suit Against Ex-Atty

    The Third Circuit on Wednesday declined to revive a suit filed by aerospace manufacturer Avco Corp. against its former attorney accusing her of breaching her fiduciary duty when she represented parties that later brought product liability claims against it over a plane crash.

  • January 10, 2024

    Menendez Skewers 'Outrageously False' Bribery Case

    U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., blasted federal prosecutors' bribery case against him Wednesday, arguing the case should be tossed because the alleged illegal conduct he engaged in is immune from prosecution.

  • January 10, 2024

    Ex-FBI Field Boss Asks Judge Not To Extend 4-Year Sentence

    A former FBI field office boss who pled guilty to failing to disclose payments he received from a former Albanian intelligence officer said a Washington, D.C., federal judge should not add prison time on top of his more than four-year sentence in a separate case charging him with assisting a Russian oligarch.

  • January 10, 2024

    Cassidy Levy Brings On International Trade Commission Atty

    A U.S. International Trade Commission attorney left the government after six years of service to join Cassidy Levy Kent LLP's trade bench as a partner.

Expert Analysis

  • Rethinking In-Office Attendance For Associate Retention

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    The hybrid office attendance model doesn't work for all employees, but it does for many — and balancing these two groups is important for associate retention and maintaining a BigLaw firm culture that supports all attorneys, says Summer Eberhard at Major Lindsey.

  • Bid Protest Spotlight: Timeliness, Discovery, Registration Gap

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    In this month's bid protest roundup, Michaela Thornton at MoFo examines recent decisions from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Government Accountability Office that consider the timeliness of a protest filing, discovery beyond the administrative record and a lapse in System for Award Management registration.

  • Murdaugh Trials Offer Law Firms Fraud Prevention Reminders

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    As the fraud case against Alex Murdaugh continues to play out, the evidence and narrative presented at his murder trial earlier this year may provide lessons for law firms on implementing robust internal controls that can detect and prevent similar kinds of fraud, say Travis Casner and Helga Zauner at Weaver and Tidwell.

  • Firm Tips For Helping New Lawyers Succeed Post-Pandemic

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    Ten steps can help firms significantly enhance the experience of attorneys who started their careers in the coronavirus pandemic era, including facilitating opportunities for cross-firm connection, which can ultimately help build momentum for business development, says Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners.

  • Fla. Foreign Real Estate Law Brings Broad Investment Risks

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    Last month, Florida became the latest state to enact legislation prohibiting Chinese investors from acquiring certain interests in real property, introducing significant legal uncertainty and consequences for real estate stakeholders and the private equity industry, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Prepping Your Business Ahead Of Affirmative Action Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on whether race should play a role in college admissions could potentially end affirmative action, and companies will need a considered approach to these circumstances that protects their brand power and future profits, and be prepared to answer tough questions, say Nadine Blackburn at United Minds and Eric Blankenbaker at Weber Shandwick.

  • Defending State Law Claims That Implicate National Security

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    GRID Networks' recent voluntary dismissal of its suit against Quantum Leap, in which U.S. cabinet-level officials expressed concerns about the security risks of hearing the matter in state court, shows how classified information can shape litigation outcomes, say Stephen Preston and Andrew Shipley at WilmerHale.

  • Tackling Judge-Shopping Concerns While Honoring Localism

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    As the debate continues over judge-shopping and case assignments in federal court, policymakers should look to a hybrid model that preserves the benefits of localism for those cases that warrant it, while preventing the appearance of judge-shopping for cases of a more national or widespread character, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • No Easy Out For FCA Defendants After Justices' Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s June 1 decision in U.S. v. SuperValu puts an end to the defense that a federal contractor's belief and in-house debates about problematic conduct are irrelevant to False Claims Act liability, says R. Scott Oswald at The Employment Law Group.

  • Perspectives

    How Attorneys Can Help Combat Anti-Asian Hate

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    Amid an exponential increase in violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, unique obstacles stand in the way of accountability and justice — but lawyers can effect powerful change by raising awareness, offering legal representation, advocating for victims’ rights and more, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Opinion

    Congress Needs To Enact A Federal Anti-SLAPP Statute

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    Although many states have passed statutes meant to prevent individuals or entities from filing strategic lawsuits against public participation, other states have not, so it's time for Congress to enact a federal statute to ensure that free speech and petitioning rights are uniformly protected nationwide in federal court, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Sanctions Compliance In Era Of Record Enforcement Action

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    The recent record-breaking penalties in separate actions against British American Tobacco and Seagate amid a sanctions violation crackdown are a reminder to prioritize factors emphasized by the National Security Division and other enforcement agencies, say attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • 5 Insider-Threat Reminders After Recent DOJ Prosecutions

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    Three recent U.S. Department of Justice actions may well lead to much greater scrutiny of companies in which insiders engage in a variety of corporate misconduct, including conducting or enabling cybercrimes, which will likely fall not just on government contractors, but across industries and geographies, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • FCA Can Be An Effective Tool For Fighting Customs Fraud

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    Appeals pending before the U.S. Supreme Court and Ninth Circuit may affect the scienter and jurisdictional aspects of False Claims Act cases alleging customs fraud, which can provide an avenue to alert U.S. Customs and Border Protection and potentially help clients to recover losses from unfair competitors, say Ellen London at London & Stout and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Li Yu.

  • FLRA Ruling May Show Need For Congressional Clarification

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    With its recent decision in The Ohio Adjutant General's Department v. Federal Labor Relations Authority, the U.S. Supreme Court took a somewhat behavioral approach in determining that the guard acted as a federal agency in hiring dual-status technicians — suggesting the need for ultimate clarification from Congress, says Marick Masters at Wayne State University.

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