Aerospace & Defense

  • March 06, 2024

    SpaceX Hit With Employee's Sex Bias, Retaliation Claims

    A SpaceX employee claims the astronautics company paid her less than male colleagues, slow-walked a promised promotion and retaliated against her when she reported her manager's sexual abuse, according to a lawsuit filed in California state court.

  • March 06, 2024

    Garland On AI Crime, And A Taylor Swift Tune For DOJ

    U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday told a group of lawyers gathered in San Francisco that the U.S. Department of Justice is ramping up its hiring of computer scientists to fight artificial intelligence-driven crime and also revealed which Taylor Swift song he thought should be the department's anthem.

  • March 06, 2024

    Ex-Google Software Engineer Stole AI Secrets, Feds Say

    A former Google software engineer was arrested Wednesday on accusations he illegally downloaded alleged trade secrets involving machine learning and taking them to startups he was involved with in China, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • March 06, 2024

    Treasury Sanctions Ship Owners It Says Enable Houthi Attacks

    The Department of Treasury says it's taking new action against Iranian commodity shipments, targeting ship owners in Hong Kong and the Marshall Islands with sanctions for moving Iranian goods that officials say help to fund Houthi attacks on container ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

  • March 06, 2024

    DOJ Says Another Korean Co., Officer Behind Bid-Rig Scheme

    A second South Korean company and its CEO allegedly defrauded the Pentagon in a scheme to rig bids and fix prices for subcontract work on U.S. military installations in South Korea, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

  • March 06, 2024

    Experts Urge 'Transformational' Change To DOD Budgeting

    An expert panel urged the U.S. Department of Defense on Wednesday to make a "transformational change" to its budgeting and resource allocation processes, saying the DOD's current processes limit effective and timely responses to changing needs and technologies.

  • March 06, 2024

    Judge Rejects Equity Challenge To Virgin Orbit Ch. 11

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Wednesday told Virgin Orbit LLC shareholders that she wouldn't retract confirmation of the satellite launch company's Chapter 11 liquidation plan, because Virgin Orbit appropriately sought approval even if the scheme left equity holders without hope of recoveries.

  • March 06, 2024

    Sidley Adds 11-Year Wiley Rein Leaders To DC Group

    Sidley Austin LLP has hired two members of Wiley Rein LLP's leadership, one of whom joins to help co-lead its global arbitration, trade and advocacy practice, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • March 06, 2024

    L3Harris Deal For DE Shaw Board Seats Prompts Suit In Del.

    An L3Harris Technologies Inc. stockholder has sued the aerospace and defense company in Delaware's Court of Chancery, challenging an agreement obliging it to recommend the election of two activist investor-backed board candidates.

  • March 05, 2024

    Claims Court Won't Block Radio Deliveries Bought Under Nixed Deal

    The U.S. Court of Federal Claims refused to block the U.S. Navy from receiving radio management systems development work that was completed before it canceled the underlying contract, saying official actions after the contract's termination were outside its purview.

  • March 05, 2024

    'Secret Informant Love' Accused Of Divulging Classified Info

    A retired U.S. Army officer arrested for allegedly divulging classified defense information on a dating website gave secret information on Russia's war against Ukraine to a woman who called him her "secret informant love," according to a newly unsealed indictment.

  • March 05, 2024

    Look At Settlement, Atty Tells 5th Circ. In Arguing For $1M Cut

    The attorney representing a KBR Inc. whistleblower countered the federal government's assertion that his client should not benefit from a $13.7 million settlement stemming from kickback allegations, telling the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday to look at the deal's terms.

  • March 05, 2024

    Gibson Dunn AI Leader On Weathering The AI Policy Blizzard

    Like a mountaineer leading a team through a snowstorm, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's artificial intelligence co-chair Cassandra L. Gaedt-Sheckter is guiding companies developing and using artificial intelligence through a blizzard of new laws and regulations coming online in Europe and the U.S., saying that assessing AI risks is the North Star to mitigating them.

  • March 05, 2024

    Amazon Workers Push For Class Status In Military Leave Suit

    Current and former Amazon employees urged a Washington federal court to grant them class status in their lawsuit accusing the company of demoting or firing workers who took time off for military leave, saying the 15,000 members of the proposed class have plenty in common.

  • March 05, 2024

    Feds Say Sen. Menendez Knew 'Loans' Were Bribes

    U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and his wife were charged with obstruction of justice in a superseding indictment unsealed Tuesday in New York federal court, raising the stakes in the corruption trial facing the New Jersey Democrat.

  • March 05, 2024

    ADI Can't Recoup Full Quinn Emanuel Bill In IP Theft Case

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday compared Analog Devices Inc.'s pricey hiring of a Quinn Emanuel attorney to monitor its former engineer's trade secrets trial in person to paying "a brain surgeon to pop a pimple" in an order denying restitution for those costs.

  • March 04, 2024

    Camp Lejeune Plaintiffs Say Specific Illness Link Is Not Required

    Litigants in the Camp Lejeune contaminated-water litigation on Sunday told a North Carolina federal court that Congress set a unique standard to show that their illnesses were caused by exposure to the water at the Marine base, given that it's been decades since some veterans were first exposed.

  • March 04, 2024

    Army Corps Says It Considered Dredged Waste Plan Correctly

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has urged an Illinois federal judge to reject environmental claims targeting dredged sediment it is storing on part of Lake Michigan's shoreline, arguing the Corps' "robust" public interest study proves its decision-making process followed all statutory and regulatory requirements.

  • March 04, 2024

    Feds Urged Not To Let Mobile Cos. 'Centralize' Airwaves

    Mobile networks should not be allowed to amass so much of the airwaves that they inadvertently crowd out national security technologies or sideline shared spectrum models, a group of experts told the U.S. Commerce Department.

  • March 04, 2024

    FAA Audit Flags Boeing 737 Max 9 Production Lapses

    Boeing and its key supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements across several departments, according to findings from a Federal Aviation Administration audit of the 737 Max 9 jets after January's harrowing Alaska Airlines midair panel blowout.

  • March 04, 2024

    Appeal Of $20.5M Terminated Deal Too Late, Says Fed. Circ.

    The Federal Circuit on Monday declined to revive a construction company's untimely challenge over the termination of a $20.5 million National Guard contract, saying the company had enough information to be aware of the deadline to appeal.

  • March 04, 2024

    US Ends Old Curbs On Zimbabwe, But Sanctions Its President

    The Biden administration on Monday ended more than two decades of U.S. economic sanctions on Zimbabwe in an apparent pivot toward a program covering "clear and specific targets," including the country's current president, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

  • March 04, 2024

    Vista Outdoor Rejects $2B Takeover Bid From MNC Capital

    Vista Outdoor Inc. has rejected a $2 billion takeover bid from MNC Capital Partners LP, saying the proposal does not take into account increased earnings the company will see when it separates its outdoor and sporting goods divisions.

  • March 04, 2024

    Menendez Loses Bid To Suppress Gold Bars In Bribery Case

    A New York federal judge on Monday refused to suppress explosive evidence — including gold bars, cash and an engagement ring — the federal government unearthed in its second bribery case against U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and his associates, reasoning that the omissions the embattled New Jersey Democrat targeted in prosecutors' affidavits weren't material.

  • March 04, 2024

    L3Harris Agrees To Pay $650K To Wrap 401(k) Class Action

    Defense contractor L3Harris will pay $650,000 to end a class action accusing it of running afoul of federal benefits law by saddling retirement plan participants with high fees and expensive investment options, according to a Florida federal court filing.

Expert Analysis

  • Questions To Ask Before Drafting Proposals With AI

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    Before federal contractors adopt AI tools to simplify their proposal writing, they should ask questions about how a given AI tool’s model was developed, and consider the procedures they will need to avoid cookie-cutter submissions and ensure accuracy, privacy and security, among other practical and legal considerations, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Even Without US, Deep-Sea Mining Rules Likely To Prevail

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    While the U.S. was absent from the International Seabed Authority's recent meeting in Jamaica, and has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, it seems increasingly clear that the ISA's forthcoming deep-sea mining regime will become a global framework of reference, say Louise Woods and Elena Guillet at V&E.

  • In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development

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    As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • SEC Focus On Perks Offers Insights On Cooperation

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent settlement with Stanley Black & Decker is the latest example of the SEC's continued focus on executive perquisites and highlights what type of cooperation may be required to avoid a civil money penalty, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Trends Emerge In High Court's Criminal Law Decisions

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    In its 2022-2023 term, the U.S. Supreme Court issued nine merits decisions in criminal cases covering a wide range of issues, and while each decision is independently important, when viewed together, key trends and takeaways appear that will affect defendants moving forward, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Terror Funding Suit Could Affect Inherited Jurisdiction In NY

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    Depending on how New York’s highest court answers two questions certified from the Second Circuit in a case litigating companies’ liability for terrorist attacks, foreign companies with no relevant New York contacts may be subject to suit in state courts by virtue of an asset purchase, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Perspectives

    A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial

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    Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.

  • How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness

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    Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory

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    Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

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    As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

  • Regulating AI: An Overview Of Federal Efforts

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    The U.S. has been carefully managing a national policy and regulatory ecosystem toward artificial intelligence, but as AI technology continues to expand into our everyday lives, so too has its risks and the need for regulation, says Jennifer Maisel at Rothwell Figg.

  • Prepping For PFAS Approval Under EPA's New Framework

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    Under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recently announced framework for addressing new per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and new uses of PFAS, entities should prepare for increased scrutiny and develop the necessary data prior to submitting premanufacture or significant new use notices, say David Edelstein and Charles Dennen at Archer & Greiner.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Timeliness, Evidence, Fact-Finding

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    Edward Arnold and Bret Marfut at Seyfarth Shaw look at three recent opinions from three stages of government contract claims litigation about avoiding untimeliness by ticking procedural boxes, supporting factual positions at the summary judgment stage and how the appellate boards review default terminations.

  • California's PFAS Bans May Have National Ripple Effects

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    As California moves to phase out per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances from many categories of consumer products, other states may soon follow — so manufacturers would be well advised take action now, or risk losing substantial market share, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.

  • What's Causing EU-US Impasse On Steel And Aluminum

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    The EU and the U.S. have made limited progress in negotiating for a Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminum, and they face high obstacles to meeting the fast-approaching October deadline, say attorneys at Akin.

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